A Change Would Do You Good
by AwesomeGeek
Summary: Beacon Hills just got its first Slayer. (Faith/Derek pairing)
1. A is for Arrival

**Chapter 1 - A is for Arrival**

Faith Lehane rolled down the car window, letting the wind flow across her face; flicking her hair around freely. The weather was brisk and chilly, but she had been driving for a while now and was thankful for the clarity of mind that the crisp air afforded her.

She tapped nervously on the steering wheel, completely out of tune with the hard rock anthem blasting from her car stereo. She was on her way to one of the hardest things she had faced in years… a family reunion.

Being nervous was not something that came naturally tor her. The last eight years had consisted of an assortment of monsters, demons, tyrannical humans and horny adolescents. She also had amassed a variety of much darker memories throughout that period of her life; involving murder, jail time and sheer naivety.

Guilt washed over her as she remembered all those moments; moments where she had failed herself, her friends and even her duties as a slayer. More than anything, she wanted a clean start but had learned all too well that this can't be borne from ignorance. She had decided to tackle her own 'demons' and had made a promise to herself that she would make a clean start; or as clean a start as possible.

This venture had been set in motion a little over four months ago when she had mentioned her family nonchalantly to Dawn, explaining that she had very few living members of her family left.

Dawn had felt genuine sadness for her; knowing just how important a strong and supportive family is. She saw only the benefits of what having a family could mean for Faith, and the experience she could get from that unity; realising that she would never be able to achieve those feelings in any other way. She had decided almost immediately that she would take on the task of resolving this is quickly as possible. Her target was Faith's uncle Stan.

Faith found out later that Dawn had made contact with him and in that initial call, had passed on Faith's contact information.

Within hours Faith received a call from a voice that was rooted somewhere in her distant past, asking her how she'd been. It rendered her speechless, so much so that he had asked twice if anyone was there.

She finally managed to speak, answering eloquently, "Yeah. You?"

* * *

Faith suspected that the death of her mother and subsequently her aunt, his wife, had contributed to the lack of contact over the years. Not that he would have been able to make contact anyway; her lifestyle had demanded a level of secrecy and isolation from those that were important to you.

They had kept in contact over the following months and had discussed topics ranging from sports and law enforcement to the period following her mother's death and the failed custody arrangements prior to his wife passing away. He had told her how guilty he felt and how difficult it had been not knowing where or how she was, hindered by the same barriers the Council and she had personally put in place.

After about three months, he asked her if she'd like to come out and visit them. She had reluctantly agreed.

He had made it clear that she could stay as long as she liked and even offered to set up the guest bedroom for her. Although she had already agreed, she still swivelled back and forth numerous times in the last few days prior to leaving; finally making the decision to go mere hours before actually going. Even then, it had taken Dawn kicking her out the door and throwing her bags out after her to make her finally get in the car.

She gave her uncle one last call from her cell, advising him that she was her way. He sounded happy and even excited; so much so that she started to feel excited about the trip too.

Before the end of the call he told her that the guest room was ready for her arrival.

She turned left, passing a large and somewhat weather worn sign for 'Beacon Hills'. She breathed in deeply and glanced down at an address scrawled on the back of an old groceries receipt. It was the address for her uncle's house; an uncle she hadn't seen in years. She thought back to when they had last met and realised that her sixteen year old cousin had only been around five or six at the time. She couldn't remember much about him but she knew he never went by his given name, which was lucky as she had had a hard time pronouncing it when she had been younger; he liked to be called Stiles.


	2. B is for Bags

**Chapter 2 - B is for Bags**

Faith pulled in to the driveway of the address she had copied on the receipt. She glanced up at the front of the house in front of her and felt uneasy. It looked warm, cosy and inviting; in stark contrast to the recent years of her life.

She watched as the front door opened and her uncle Stan stepped out, smiling widely. He didn't even look all that older than the man she remembered, which was impressive given how much time had passed. The one thing that always stood out in her memories was his air of authority; watching him step down the stairs towards the car assured her that it was no different now.

A sudden movement made her glance up to one the upper windows where two male faces were pressed against the glass. As soon as they realised that she had seen them, the one with dark hair darted out of view. The other clumsily walked left first then turned quickly and walked to the right, dropping out of sight.

Faith smiled and gave her head a slight shake. _Well, that was subtle boys, _she thought.

* * *

"Jesus, d'ya think she saw us?" Stiles asked, peering back around the curtains carefully. He knew his cousin was coming to stay with them for a while and he had been anticipating her visit ever since his dad had told him. He had seen photos from years back but was still shocked when he had seen her step out of the car.

"Yeah, probably," Scott answered from the floor.

Stiles peered back around the curtains once more to get a better look. As she turned back towards her uncle, Stiles saw her face for the first time. He was instantly taken aback; she looked… just like his mom. He beckoned to the photo on his nightstand, "Dude, Dude… bring that here."

Scott sighed and stood up, moving around the room to Stiles' night stand. He picked up the picture and brought it over to the window.

Stiles grabbed at it and stared at it intently for a moment before looking back at Faith. He thrust the photo towards Scott, "Look at it, and then look at my cousin."

Scott glanced at the picture and then looked out at Faith. His eyes widened, "Holy shit, she looks just like your mom… but in all leather."

Stiles grimaced and shook his head, "You could have just said they were similar! Why even mention the leather?" He grimaced again and stuck his tongue out, "Yeuch!"

He gently placed the photo back on the nightstand, stared at it for a moment and then turned it facedown. "Yeuch!"

* * *

Faith stepped free from the car and was immediately embraced tightly by her uncle. She felt uncomfortable at first but resisted the urge to pull away; the embrace was warm and sincere… it was nice.

He pulled away and looked at her, "You're the spitting image of your mother." He hugged her again and pointed to the trunk, "Are you're bags in the car?"

She smiled and nodded, feeling shy for the first time… ever. She cleared her throat and coughed out the words. "Yeah, but I'll get them." she replied, "Thanks again for inviting me."

He nodded politely, "It's no trouble, I'm happy to see you." He walked around to the trunk and popped it open, "You don't need to get these out yourself," he said. He turned back towards the house and looked up to the upper window, "STILES! Get down here and help your cousin with her bags."

Faith looked at the front door and saw a head peek around, the body followed shortly afterwards and he stepped out on to the steps, making his way towards them both. She watched as her cousin walked down to the car and smiled awkwardly whilst giving a small wave, avoiding eye contact at first; he looked as nervous as she felt at that moment.

Her uncle nudged Stiles, harder than was necessary, "While we wait for your powers of telekinesis to materialise, do you want to try carrying them by hand?"

"He doesn't have to, I can carry them," Faith offered. She reached in to the trunk and pulled out a few large duffle bags and smaller holdall, placing them tenderly at her feet.

He shuffled nervously, "It's fine, honest. I don't mind."

She smiled and conceded, "Well I won't decline an offer of help. I do carry a lot of crap though so how about you take those two and I'll take the rest?" She handed him one of the large duffle bags and slid the other towards him with her foot as she shouldered the holdall. "Hey, the faster we get in, the faster you can tell me how awesome this place is." She smiled widely, trying to cover up her own uneasiness.

Stiles looked at her and looked horrified, "Awesome? Here?... I think you better make a complaint with your travel agent coz' this place is about as much fun as…"

"STILES!" His dad cut him off mid speech, "Let's at least let your cousin in the door before you make her regret her stay." His tone implied that he was joking but the look he gave Stiles implied otherwise.

Stiles smiled weakly at Faith before he turned back silently and started to carry the bags towards the house with Faith following.

Her uncle walked past, patting her on the shoulder gently, "Don't mind him, he grows on you."


	3. C is for Challenge

**Chapter 3 - C is for Challenge**

_In touch with the ground,_

_Out on the hunt down after you,_

_Smell like I sound,_

_I'm lost in a crowd and I'm hungry like the wolf,_

_Straddle the line in…_

Faith opened her eyes slowly and rubbed them with her hands. She could swear she had heard music but the room was silent. She snuggled down in to the covers and found what may have been the comfiest spot she had ever experienced. It was short lived however as the music once again filled the air. She sighed and climbed out of bed

_In touch with the ground,_

_Out on the hunt down after you,_

_Smell like I sound,_

_I'm lost in a crowd and I'm hungry like the wolf,_

_Straddle…_

She followed the noise to a cell phone on Stiles' desk but it had stopped ringing already. She picked it up and turned it on to 'silent' mode; taking it with her as she returned to the bedroom. She sat it on her desk and climbed back under the sheets; this time to sleep - something she had dreamt about for sooo long… the irony.

She was just drifting back in to sleep when the sound of vibration filled the room. She turned to see Stiles' phone vibrating around the desk on its own accord. She sat up again and simply muttered, "Stiles."

She hopped out of bed and walked over to the phone. She turned it over and let her eyes adjust to the blaringly bright screen; it had two missed messages and the voicemail icon was flashing. She'd been here for over week now and Stiles had managed to leave his phone at home three times; every time he left it, it was always just out of reach but not out of earshot. Also, he had some of the most irritating ringtones known to man… they would worm their way in to your head and 'force' you to sing them over and over and over again throughout the day.

She sighed and looked out the window, "I guess today is as good as any to get a feel for this place."

* * *

Faith got up and got dressed fairly haphazardly. She grabbed her keys, Stiles' phone and a bottle of water before pulling on her leather jacket and walking outside.

She jumped in to her car and set off, following the signs leading to the high school. As she drove past the nice houses, green lawns and friendly neighbours, she thought it all looked a bit 'at odds' with itself. She couldn't feel anything even close to vamp related but 'something' was out of place; just under the surface. Luckily, Beacon Hills wasn't on a Hellmouth; she had checked… twice!

Faith arrived at the school and found kids all around the stairs, walkways and entrances; clearly on a break. She scanned the area looking for Stiles but couldn't see him; she did however spot his jeep. She walked towards it and out the corner of her eye she saw a sexy black Camaro speed past and around the corner. She could hear it coming to a sharp stop just out of sight. The sound of the car door slamming shut gave her just cause to have a look.

As she rounded the corner she saw a man in a black leather jacket push Stiles in to the brick wall behind him, holding him in place with one hand and talking to him nose to nose.

The instinct to protect kicked in and Faith dashed towards them. With one hand she grabbed the man's shoulder and spun him around to face her; without so much as a pause she grabbed him by the lapels of his leather jacket and slammed him in to the wall. He landed hard mere inches from Stiles who had his eyes closed.

Faith looked into the man's eyes and could see raw anger, but more than that she saw surprise. She leaned forward so that their faces were close; that was when she saw it… the flash of blue waving across his iris before disappearing again. She could feel him pushing against her, his body straining against her grip. She smirked and responded by pushing even harder. He looked at her dead on and a low growl left his lips, just below what the human ears would pick up. She already knew that he was a werewolf, his body had already betrayed his secret; what surprised her was the power he had. She gave him a small grin, challenging him to keep trying.

She glanced over at Stiles, who still had his eyes closed and his face locked tight, as if waiting to be hit. She wondered why her cousin would be hanging out with a werewolf. He definitely hadn't given any indication at home that he had any experience of the supernatural or occult… perhaps he didn't know.

She felt the guy push back against her again, this time using his legs as leverage against the wall in order to 'push' himself off. He got about two inches forward and she pushed him back again, this time pushing him back so hard that he broke the surface of some of the bricks behind him; orange flakes and small pieces of debris fell to the ground behind him… and there it was - fear.

It was as though she could see the wolf inside him, pacing back and forth, attempting to claw its way out… but he had it under control, even now. She respected him for that; she appreciated the force of will it must have taken. Regardless, she was under no illusions about letting him go just yet though.

"Stiles, you ok?" She asked, glancing at her cousin.

"Huh?" Stiles replied in confusion as he opened one eye tentatively before blinking them both wide. "F…Faith?" he stuttered in surprise.

Stiles finally looked at Derek and saw that Faith had him pinned to the wall. Panic swept across Stiles' face and he almost screamed for her to let him go. Even if he didn't know what Derek was, he knew he was dangerous.

"I said, are you ok? Is this guy bothering you?" For emphasis, Faith pushed ever so slightly into Derek's chest, receiving another low growl. For now he had stopped fighting her and was watching Stiles; realising Stiles knew her. She knew the deep breaths he was taking had nothing to do with being winded. She wondered if he made her connection to Stiles yet through their scents.

"No… Derek here was just looking for Scott," he said, looking at Derek as if he was coaching _him _on what to tell Faith.

"Yeah, well it looked to me like he was trying to put you through the wall." She pushed against Derek again, this time so hard Derek let out a small gasp.

"That's just Derek. Manners aren't his speciality," Stiles stammered.

She looked back at Derek. "Aren't you a little old to be a student?"

She felt Stiles start to pull her off of Derek; not missing the intake of breath Derek gave as he pushed off the wall. "Yeah, we don't talk about that… _ever," _Stiles answered first_, "_It's kind of a touchy subject with him. Everything is fine. Why are you here?" He asked, looking to Faith.

Pulling back, she took a step back from this '_Derek'_. Straightening herself, she pulled the cell from her back pocket and threw it lightly at Stiles, "You left it at home again."

"Thanks," he said, pushing it in to his jeans pocket.

"Boys, play nice. Ok?" she looked at Derek when she said this but turned back to Stiles, "Are you sure you're ok?"

He nodded, "Yeah, it's cool. He's like a big puppy once you get to know him." Once again his face drained of colour and he looked back at Derek as if he had given away this huge secret. Faith realised that Stiles knew exactly what Derek was; surprising though he appeared to be the one in control of the situation.

She decided that she'd speak to him later to work out what was going on. She didn't see any need to shoot the guy full of wolfsbane just yet, hell, one of her own friends was a werewolf… and almost all of her other friends also had a bad time once a month; the moon just wasn't a factor for them.

Faith turned back and walked towards her car, knowing without a doubt that she had Derek's undivided attention. Pausing briefly at his Camaro, she looked back to see Stiles and Derek watching her intently. With a grin she slowly slid her index finger along the chassis before walking around the corner, back out of sight. If pinning him against the wall wasn't a challenge, then touching his car – what was _his_ – definitely was. Then again, he shouldn't have laid a hand on Stiles; whilst he wasn't hers, he _was_ family – same difference really.

She jumped back in to her car and drove off. She decided that patrolling this area might be more necessary than she had first thought. _'Was it bad that it made her feel more comfortable?_' she thought to herself before deciding she'd also need to look in to this 'Derek'.


	4. D is for Derek

**Chapter 4 - D is for Derek**

Faith had been thinking about investigating Derek Hale since their encounter at the high school. She had learned that Derek was twenty-two, single and a werewolf – obviously. The thing that had caught her attention was that he had been a resident of Beacon Hills before a fire ravaged his home six years ago. He, his sister Laura and his uncle Peter were the only survivors. Peter was catatonic following the fire and was a resident in a local nursing home. Derek and Laura had moved to New York until about a month ago.

There wasn't much information about the fire itself. It had been deemed an accident at the time and the case was closed. There was next to no information about the years that followed other than Derek and Laura's destination.

She thought about what happened at the school and memories flitted across her mind; specifically Stiles' reaction. He hadn't come to her yet about what had happened but she figured he would soon enough. One thing that was abundantly clear was how intelligent her cousin was; that intelligence could be somewhat misguided at times but she _knew_ that he wouldn't ignore this.

The thing was she couldn't decide if she was ready to tell him who she _really _was? … _What_ she really was. She wasn't really sure that she wanted to have the _'Hey, you know how werewolves are real? Yeah, well, that's not even the tip of the iceberg'_ speech. She had seen how he had reacted at the school and she wasn't afraid that he would take it badly; it was the possibility that he'd take it well that scared her... _How much did he already know?_

It hadn't taken much effort to get the low down on the events of the previous few weeks from her Uncle. Derek Hale's sister, Laura, had been dug up on his property, tipped off by none other than her cousin and his reluctant apprentice in crime, Scott. A bus driver had been found in a destroyed school bus on the high school grounds and had been practically eviscerated. Faith had to laugh at the fact that people thought it was an animal attack – different town, same ignorance.

She truly hadn't planned on getting involved with a murder investigation when she had come here; she just wanted to take a break from all that she was, all that she had been. However, she knew that she couldn't just ignore the spate of _'animal'_ attacks when there was clearly a werewolf running rampant. Seeing as her cousin was spending time with him, and had potentially pissed him off; she figured that in some way, this was all Stiles' fault.

Faith pondered what she would do next and decided that she would use her new abundance of free time to find out more. She pulled on her leather jacket and opened the front door; setting off on foot with the intent to find Derek and _persuade _him to fill in the gaps. She knew he wasn't the one responsible for everything going on; he may come across as creepy and is an alumni of the Angel school of brood but he wasn't a murderer.

A few hours had passed and she hadn't so much as picked up a trail, but there it was, shoe prints pushed in to the moist soil; each one coupled with claw marks in the soil in front. The tracks led west and the prints were deepest in the toes... not only were these tracks from something running, they were from something running on all fours.

She sprinted along the route of the prints, tracking it through the woods to a containment yard at an industrial estate. She paused suddenly and looked at the tracks, her eyes widened as she realised that there was a second set of tracks running alongside them. The print was just as clear but the distance between front and back 'paws' was smaller and not as deep. She crouched down and traced the print with her finger; the second wolf was smaller than the other and not as strong… yet.

This realisation concerned her. If Derek was part of a bigger pack, then she would have to take an entirely different approach. One werewolf could be tolerated _if_ they had not yet spilled blood… a whole pack of werewolves however was a different scenario, and one that left very few options outside of extermination.

She slowed her pace and crept round the corner. In the distance she could see a woman standing outside her car. Her instinct to protect kicked in again and she started forwards, coming to a sudden stop just as quickly; something was wrong.

She watched as the woman pulled out a rifle and trained her sights above the industrial containers dotted around the yard. Faith followed her gaze and saw the blur of motion, both wolves leapt the gap and a single shot rang out across the yard. Faith moved into cover but it became clear that the woman was oblivious to her presence. Faith moved silently towards the woman to get a better view of who she was and what was going on; not many women carried a rifle around with them. Her mind flicked back to some of the people she knew and some of the weaponry they carried… hell, Buffy had a rocket launcher. Regardless, she didn't know this woman and wasn't about to afford her any pleasantries.

As she drew closer, Faith saw another car pull up and a man stepped out, he looked frustrated with her but kept his distance… she could tell he didn't trust this woman. They exchanged only a few sentences before getting back in to their cars and pulling away.

Faith waited until they were out of sight and ran towards the area she had seen the wolves. She was close now and she could smell blood. She stayed focused, covering her corners and keeping her guard up. As she rounded the edge of the container she saw a puddle of blood with a trail moving towards a nearby wire mesh fence before trailing off. There was no body but she knew that the blood was Derek's due to the shoe prints left in his blood.

Faith had spent all night and most of the day visiting each of Derek's known haunts from her research but so far had only found his Camaro near an abandoned warehouse. She returned to her uncle's house and glanced at the clock, 3:21pm. She decided that the only lead left was to ask Stiles what he knew and if he knew where else Derek might go. She ran back outside and jumped in to her car, setting off quickly for the school.

As she arrived at the school she heard horns blaring loudly. It wasn't long before she identified the reason for the commotion; Derek was sprawled out in the road in front of Stiles' jeep.

Stiles and Scott were desperately trying to get him up; struggling whilst bickering at each other. She swerved the car and jumped out, running over to help. She ignored the shocked looks from Scott and Stiles as she gripped Derek around the chest from behind and hoisted him in to the jeep. Scott ran round to the side of the jeep to speak to Derek. He was _trying_ to be discreet but Faith could hear every word.

"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used." Derek rasped. His breathing was laboured and each word he uttered was short and sharp; each one tinged with pain. "And Scott, she's an Argent… she's with them."

Faith looked back to Stiles, "Take him to the south side of the Preserve, near the picnic tables." She glanced back at Derek before returning her gaze to Stiles, "I'll meet you there… and you _will_ tell me what's going on!"

Stiles looked at her open mouthed but didn't so much as utter a sound.

She shook him, "Do you understand?"

Stiles nodded and turned the key in the ignition, taking off towards the parking lot exit and rounding the corner.

"Be careful and keep your phone on," she instructed to Scott as she watched the jeep disappear.

Scott looked pale, he nodded at her as she got back in to the car and drove off after Stiles.

* * *

Faith sped towards the Preserve and parked a few hundred yards back. She looked around to ensure that she wasn't being followed before setting off on foot, running as quickly as she was able.

As she arrived in the picnic area there was a fine mist forming overhead. There was no one else around but she could see Stiles perched on a bench near the back of the picnic area. Derek was on the ground, resting with his back against one of the supports for the bench.

Faith ran to them and as she approached, Derek let out an audible 'huff' before looking away from her. He looked terrible; his skin was gaunt and a sickly shade of green. Faith looked to Stiles who squirmed uncomfortably whilst fiddling around with his cell phone, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

Faith ignored him for now and knelt next to Derek, "So, do you make a habit out of getting shot?"

Derek looked at her angrily before grunting an inaudible response and turning away again.

"Where's your first aid kit?" Faith shouted to Stiles.

"It's in the glove box," he replied meekly. He waited for a moment but was greeted only with silence and a steely stare. "Oh, you want me to… never mind, I'm on it," he hopped from the bench and ran to the jeep. He rushed back, handing the first aid box to faith.

Faith looked from Derek to Stiles and back again, neither made any effort to hold eye contact. "Do I need to guess or are you just gonna spill it?" The resulting silence infuriated her, "Spill it right now or so help me I'm going to…"

Stiles jumped up and hushed her, waving his hands in a calming motion in an attempt to quiet her, even though there was no one around. He let out a large sigh, "Ok, ok" He conceded, "Derek and Scott are werewolves. Derek got shot and only has forty-eight hours to live. Allison Argent's family are werewolf hunters and there's an Alpha werewolf running around killing people!" Stiles began to trail off as he ran out of steam. He watched Faith, trying to judge whether or not she was about to hit him for lying or believe him and full on freak out.

Faith took a breath and looked at him calmly, "A hospital is definitely out of the question then."

Derek turned to face her this time, his face locked in shock. Stiles was doing a good job at emulating the same expression. Stiles couldn't comprehend how she had been able to accept this so calmly… unless she was being sarcastic.

Derek didn't look away this time, making it clear that he was trying to work her out. His head suddenly lulled and his gaze fell to the ground. He grumbled as nausea took hold. He fell to the side, landing on his back in the hard dirt.

Faith looked at Stiles and told him to call Scott; making it clear that speed was the priority here. She watched Stiles fumble with his cell before pulling it quickly to his ear.

She turned back to Derek, "Ok, I'm gonna need to check that wound if I'm going to have any chance at helping."

Derek was sweating heavily but didn't argue with her; instead he pulled at his shirt feebly. She stepped in and tore his sleeve to the shoulder, exposing the wound. It was unlike any bullet wound she had seen before; it had a crusty purple scab building up around the wound and his veins were a vibrant purple and black, visible clearly through the upper layer of skin. She glanced back at him and saw a flash of his feral side as she touched the wound.

"I've had bigger and badder things look at me like that… it didn't work for them either." She pushed on the wound again but no blood came out; it was as if the bullet had cauterised the wound. As she pressed down he hissed loudly and flashed blue eyes at her, rage burning within them.

She took no real notice but smiled nonetheless, "Oh, I bet you get all the girls with those big ol' blues."

Faith looked back at Stiles who was stepping from foot to foot. She was pissed at Scott for dumping all this on him, she was even angrier though that it looked like Scott was giving him grief on the phone. Faith shouted over at him, "Tell him to move his ass… it is **not** a request!"

She watched as he stood straight and started passing on the message, not missing out the detail that it was Faith who had said it. She sighed and looked back to Derek who was watching her intently. He was silent but that didn't mean he was being ignorant, in fact he was using the time to size her up. The way she moved, her attitude in the face of her cousin's panicked admission and the way that she probed at his wounds; her eyes were focused and hinted at a wealth of knowledge. He hissed again as she leant in and began to bandage up the wound. He knew it was futile and took a breath before telling her but she beat him to it.

"This isn't going to do anything but cover the wound until we can get you somewhere where we can better _tend_ to it" She said.

Derek knew what she meant, he had even considered it himself; emergency amputation.

She leant in close and whispered "The bandages will also stop you getting any of your mess on Stiles' jeep. I can already see him having a conniption fit if you get anything on his seats." She glimpsed back at him, "He treats that thing like a princess."

Derek remained silent as she finished wrapping the wound. She patted him on his leg and stood up, letting him know that she was done for now. She turned and headed over to Stiles.

"What's the low down with the other one?" she asked.

Stiles shook his head, "I'm not really sure, he's still trying to get his hands on one of the bullets they used." He sighed and sat down on a bench.

Faith looked around at the empty park before looking back to him, "You're gonna have to stay here for a while. I've noticed from my morning runs that no one really comes up here. It's also far enough away from the Hale house that you should be safe." She watched him for a response but he didn't offer any, "In case you missed that, you **have** to stay here. I figure the place is crawling with hunters about now," She pointed to Derek, "waiting for _him_ to come back."

Stiles looked lost, "You're taking all this rather well… like, _really_ well!"

"Why wouldn't I? Maybe I should have just assumed that you have overdosed on your Adderall again?"

Stiles stood up, "To be honest? Yes!" he yelled, "I wasn't expecting you to believe me at all! And I only overdosed once… maybe twice… since you've been here… but that's irrelevant."

Faith looked unconvinced. She put her arm on his shoulder and pulled him in closer. In a quiet and calm voice she reassured him as best she could, "Stiles, you're family" she paused, "and what would lying really achieve right now?"

She left Stiles standing open mouthed and dumb struck.

Faith returned to Derek and knelt down again. "We need to move you to the jeep. I don't want either of you going anywhere but if shit hits the fan, I'd rather you were in a position to get out of here."

Stiles came over, looking worried, "And what about you?"

"I can take care of myself. If anyone asks I'm just on a walk. I'll tell them I got lost or something… I'll make it up as I go along." She helped Derek into jeep before heading off on foot in the direction of the Hale house. She started to run but turned back for a second to shout to Derek, "He's not your personal chew toy, understand?"

She looked back to Stiles, "And don't do anything to piss him off!"

Stiles looked shocked for the umpteenth time that day, "Me? He's the one that makes it seem like breathing the same air as him is some great travesty."

Derek growled loudly at him making him jump. He looked back to Faith and pointed to Derek in condemnation, "See what I mean!" Stiles shouted, sounding exasperated.

Faith shook her head and set off again, disappearing in to the woods at the perimeter of the park.

* * *

The sun was starting to dip in the sky when she arrived at the burnt out house. As she drew close she could hear voices. It wasn't long before she saw the source; three guys were standing around just outside the entrance to the house. She sized them up and could tell immediately that they were not the ones calling the shots. She knew lackeys when she saw them.

She scanned the area for the target of her hunt; the female who had shot Derek. Her knowledge at this time only shed enough light on the situation to clarify that she was an Argent and a werewolf hunter. The fact that she had survived to this age implied that maybe she wasn't an amateur either.

She watched intently but there was no motion from inside the house and the guys outside weren't giving away anything but the scores for some irrelevant sports match. Her phone vibrated in her pocket prompting her to pull it free. It was a text that simply said _'meet us at the local vet'_.

She laughed at the thought of taking a werewolf to a vet for a bullet wound. She turned and set off trying to remember the directions to the local veterinary practice.

* * *

She arrived at the vets in time to see Scott running in the back door, she quickly followed him in. The scene that greeted her took a second to compute. Derek was lying against the table with a makeshift tourniquet around his upper arm and a bone saw was lying on the table next to him. On top of that, her cousin was a shade of white that would put Casper to shame. She made it a point to ignore the black viscous fluid on the floor; she figures knowing would be far worse than guessing.

"Wow." She looks to the saw on the table. "Looks like I came at just the right time."

At that, Derek passed out, dropping the bullet Scott had just handed over. Scott went after the bullet as it rolled away.

Stiles knelt above Derek, slapping him a few times and then punched him in an attempt to rouse him but failed, instead sprawling back and clasping his hand in pain, letting out a yelp. He looked panicked and raised his fist as if to strike him again. Faith grabbed his fist before he could hit Derek again, pulled him up and told him to help Scott.

Faith looked at Derek and for a split second, she didn't want to hit that face. Still, '_needs must'_ she thought. She hit him square in the jaw hard enough to wake the dead; sure enough his eyes opened and spun in their sockets before focusing on her. He pulled himself up but she could tell that he was running on fumes. He snapped open the bullet that Scott had placed next to him on the table. He began to empty the contents onto the examination table but lost his grip. Faith caught it before it had even dropped a few inches causing Stiles and Scott to stare at her. She didn't take any notice and instead looked at Derek. He tried to speak but fell to the floor in a heap.

"Light the powder and then bring it here." He demanded.

Faith fished her zippo lighter from her back pocket and set the powder alight. The powder sizzled only for a moment before erupting in a blue flame that sent wisps of blue smoke up into the air. The powder stopped burning just as quickly as it had begun. Faith dragged her hand across the table, funnelling it into her outstretched palm. She dropped down and gingerly straddled Derek's torso, holding the warm powder tightly in her right hand.

Derek looked up at her, his face betraying his fear, "Put it in the wound… you'll need to push it in deep." He snapped.

Faith opened her palm so that she was able to scoop the powder towards her index and middle finger. The aroma from the still warm powder drifted towards her; the smell prompted the stark realisation of what it was she held in her palm - Wolfsbane. "Jesus, this is… you know this is gonna hurt like a bitch, right?"

She didn't wait for an answer and pushed the powder into the bullet hole, pressing down past the knuckle. Derek screamed but she knew that it wasn't enough; using her full weight she pushed down until her finger was almost completely inserted. Using her left hand she restrained him, pushing down on his rib cage hard enough that it would have broken his ribs, had he not been a werewolf. She felt his raw power quake through his limbs as his muscles began to spasm; contorting and rippling as each wave of pain washed over him. Even though it was clear that he was in a weakened state and was wracked with agony, he was putting up a good fight. Faith was worried about how much will power he would have to channel right now, just to refrain from shifting; the fact he was still in human form spoke volumes about the control he had over his beast.

Suddenly he whipped his head back and arched his body, causing Faith to reel backwards before quickly regaining her composure. He began to flail wildly, screaming out in agony. She grabbed his head and forcefully turned him to face her. His eyes were now solid blue, letting her know that his wolf was now just mere centimetres below the surface; clawing to get out and driven by his primal instinct to survive; to heal.

Faith leant in close to his face and whispered, "Look at me. Its ok… you are going to be ok. Just breathe."

Scott and Stiles watched silently as Derek began to calm and his arm begin to heal; the purple and black veins disappearing as the bullet hole closed over. Faith watched as his natural eye colour returned and he fell silent. He closed his eyes and fell limp, more in relief than anything else.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Stiles exclaimed loudly, breaking the somewhat awkward tension in the room.

Faith climbed off of him as Scott walked up to them. He looked down at Derek who was slowly opening his eyes again. "Are you… ok?

Derek winced as he pulled himself up in to a sitting position, "Except for the agonizing pain you mean?"

Stiles shrugged, "Well, at least we know he still has his sarcasm," he was greeted with silence, "What? That has to count for something right?"

Faith chuckled and shook her head.

Scott stood up straight, visibly bracing himself. He glared at Derek, "We saved your life." He let that statement hang in the air for a moment before proceeding, "You are going to leave us alone!... You got that?"

Derek didn't reply this time. Scott began to look flustered by Derek's silence and appeared to be waning under Derek's steely gaze. "If you don't… I'm gonna go to Allison's dad and tell him everything!" Scott had done his best to look stern but he was clearly letting his doubts take centre stage in his mind.

"You're _still_ gonna trust them? You really think they'll help you?" Derek barked, baring his teeth.

Scott's face contorted in to a mix of anger, confusion and arrogance, something it seemed that only teenagers could master. "Why not? They're a lot freakin' nicer than you are," He screamed.

Derek screamed back at him, "Don't you remember that 'nice guy' shooting you with a crossbow?"

Faith intervened, pushing Scott back, "Derek's right." She reasoned, "You aren't safe with the Argents!"

"What do you know?" Scott snapped.

'_More than you think' _she thought_._ She moved forwards so that she was standing toe to toe with him. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, but they are hunters who hunt werewolves and you are _what _exactly? You ain't a frickin' Care bear!"

"Yeah," she teased out the word for effect, "I can see them now, welcoming you with open arms." Faith shook her head, "Let's not be under any illusion here. Once they know what you are, their priority will be your extermination!" She paced away before turning back, a mask of aggression painted on her face, "Do you _really_ think he's gonna just let a wolf date his daughter?… hell, even if you _were_ just another teen, dating the daughter is already reason for murder.

Scott stepped back so that she was not as close anymore, "They could still help though! If they just knew the full story I'm sure they'd understand.""

Before Faith could respond, Derek interrupted with a snarl, "I can show you _exactly_ how far their understanding stretches!"

* * *

They all walked out of the vets in to the cold air, prompting Derek to take a loud breath. As he climbed in to the car with Scott he nodded to Faith in a silent thank you.

As they pulled away Faith turned back to Stiles who gulped loudly. He couldn't decide what kind of punishment would be better here… his choice was none if he was honest but he didn't feel confident placing his money on that bet just yet.

Faith looked over the hood of his jeep and he grimaced, waiting for his punishment to be unveiled.

"Are you hungry?" she asked nonchalantly, "I'm starved!"

He nodded at her but his mouth was wide open. Faith hadn't decided yet if she liked this silent Stiles better than the one that had to remind himself to breath between sentences. The jury was definitely out on that one.

Stiles knew that there was something out of place with his cousin but he was not in the right frame of mind to piece it together. Yet.


	5. E is for Encounter

**Chapter 5 - E is for Encounter**

Two days had passed since the bullet incident and Faith hadn't seen Derek again. If she was honest, she hadn't really made any effort to find him, instead spending her time researching the Argents, their history and their methods.

Using Wolfsbane tipped bullets was a given, but she had found reports of mutilated corpses and animal attacks from each of the places they had resided. One thing that re-occurred in more than one of the cases was that the body was split in half horizontally across the abdomen.

Whilst she had been able to uncover a wealth of information from various sources, only a few stood out as being significant. One such snippet had explained that the name 'Argent' in French meant Silver; further checks confirmed that their lineage did in fact have roots in France. Chris Argent had a job as an arms supplier for Law Enforcement, meaning that he would have continual and legal access to a potentially limitless arsenal.

Kate Argent's previous years were much sketchier. She had been a resident in and around Beacon Hills around a decade ago but had suddenly disappeared… until two days ago at least.

Stiles hadn't approached Faith since that night either but she didn't blame him. Still, if he wasn't ready to ask his questions, she wasn't in a position to give him the answers.

She knew that even though he hadn't asked yet, he had by no means dropped the subject. She had caught him watching her over the last two days and knew that the cogs in his head were spinning… he was trying to figure her out.

Faith didn't want to lie to Stiles but she also knew that telling him the truth could be just as bad for her. Then again, the kid was like a human lie detector; he couldn't lie for shit personally but had an eerily accurate bullshit detector of his own.

She had moved her weapons out of the house the same night that everything had kicked off. They were now safely tucked up in the trunk of her car, away from prying eyes. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Stiles got his hands on her crossbow – or worse, her knives… most of the time he barely had control of his own limbs, let alone a deadly weapon.

She'd also caught him muttering to himself yesterday morning, hunched over a crumpled piece of paper. He'd been mulling over it a while and had developed an ink stain on the side of his mouth where he had been chewing his pen. When she entered the kitchen he quickly put the paper in his pocket and tried to pretend everything was fine. Faith didn't call him out, instead, continuing to make her breakfast. She would have told him about the ink but he'd darted out the door so fast that she never got a chance.

She still wanted to avoid getting out the 'Slayer in Town' banners just yet if she could avoid it. Unfortunately, she knew that in Stiles' case it was only a matter of time.

* * *

The dried twigs and branches snapped loudly as Faith darted through the woods. Since moving here, she had been in possession of a crap ton of extra free time and a burning store of pent up energy without an immediate vent. She actually found herself wishing for a vampire, or maybe even a rogue demon, just so that she could beat it in to a mushy pile of muscle and sinew; for no other reason than to exhaust her excess energy.

The music from her iPod blared in her ears as she darted, leapt and dipped through the dense woods. Her feet were moving instinctually; moving in a blur without so much as tripping or stumbling on the loose terrain. She breathed in deeply and as the cold morning air filled her lungs she felt at peace. Given the situation over the last few days, she was thankful for these moments where she could just 'be'; letting her body control her movements and freeing up her mind.

This morning wasn't destined to be one of those leisurely runs.

Faith halted instantly and stood so still that she could have passed for a statue. She let her senses scout the area around her. She _knew_ someone was there… and she _knew_ they were watching her. She had been aware of them as soon as she began her run but had purposefully ignored their presence to see what they would do next.

As she stood there in the clearing she could hear low breathing. She held her own breath but could still hear the breathing of another. She watched as Derek emerged from the trees in front of her and broke in to a run towards her. She grinned and ran away from him, back towards the tree line. He dropped to all fours and pursued her, quickly catching up so that he was only a meter or so away. As she approached a thick birch she planted her foot on the trunk and flipped backwards, right over Derek's head. He managed to stop himself from full on body slamming the tree but stumbled forwards before quickly turning back to her; she was standing with her back to him.

"Nice try," she quipped sarcastically.

"Where do you think you're going?" Derek growled at her.

She flipped her hood up over her head and peered back at him over her shoulder, "Grandma's House," she grinned. She began to walk away.

She had seen the barest hint of a smile playing on the corner of Derek's lips… _perhaps he does have a sense of humour after all,_ she thought.

Derek roared and slammed in to her, forcing her to the ground. She could have easily used his weight to flip him over her head but didn't feel like she was in any real danger. As she smashed in to the ground she let out a sharp breath; she could feel Derek leaning in close to her neck. As she opened her eyes she heard him inhale deeply.

Faith smiled, "Um, normally I would be all for this but …"

Derek jumped away from her, still on all fours. She turned over and sat up to look at him; his eyes were wide and glowing brightly. Faith didn't know if the look on his face was supposed to be of shock, horror or fear.

"You smell…" he began.

"Hey!" She interrupted. She stood and pointed her finger in indignation, "If you had been running for three hours then you wouldn't smell so hot either! Besides… it's not that bad. " Faith pulled her t-shirt up to her nose and sniffed it. She grimaced slightly and looked at him glumly, "Ok, so maybe it_ is_ that bad. That doesn't mean I need you telling me!"

She looked away for a second before muttering, "You should smell Stiles after lacrosse practice – that's lethal. If you could bottle it, it'd come with a warning label!" She shook her head as if waking from a dream, "Wait, why the hell did you sniff me?"

Derek stood back up, looking confused and exasperated all at once.

Faith waited for him to speak but decided to take the hit herself and break the silence. "You look better," she said, "not so green or bullet ridden."

He still looked pissed off but didn't look sure about what he expected from this encounter, or even what he wanted from it. Faith decided that life was too short and pushed her earphones back in to her ears. She stretched each leg and gave him one last look, "Great conversation as always Hale. I suppose I should go home and shower."

She set off at a run and disappeared in to the woods; she was just out of sight when he heard her shout, "Better luck next time!"

Derek looked on sternly but remained in the clearing rather than pursuing her further.

* * *

Faith had already showered, eaten and watched her fair share of daytime TV; saying she was bored was an understatement. She stood up and grabbed her coat. "Screw this," she said aloud and walked out the front door.

She set out down the main road, looking for something to do; a shopping mall, a cinema… even a 7/11 would suffice right now. As she turned a corner the familiar flicker of red and blue lights alerted her to police presence. It wasn't long before she pulled in near the local video store; saying that there was police presence turned out to be a poor estimate... the place was **crawling** with them.

She climbed out of the car in time to see Stiles hanging around a few cop cars away. He hadn't seen her yet but she could see her uncle from here; he was standing with a tall, good looking teen, who was being less than polite. A few feet from him she could see a red head sitting in an ambulance, looking pretty ill. The available evidence suggested that this was the 'Jackson and Lydia' the boys had told her about.

As she drew closer she could hear some of the attitude that Jackson was spewing out at her uncle and wanted nothing more than to punch him out; she was not given the option though as Stiles shouted loudly, "Is that a dead body?"

All eyes turned to the body bag being carried from the video store. Her uncle sighed angrily and looked at Stiles who looked sheepish under his gaze. It was then that he noticed her there; he made eye contact for a moment and then turned away, fidgeting awkwardly. He had a few ideas about what her situation was but didn't yet have any more than ideas and theories.

Faith walked over to her uncle who was now controlling the scene, holding people back and turning away those with cameras. When he saw her, he gave her a slight nod, silently telling her that he had seen her, but didn't have time to talk. She nodded back and walked over to Stiles.

"Hey kiddo," she said, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

He looked at her but had a horrible look on his face, a look that she didn't ever want to see again… he didn't trust her anymore.

She sighed and gently rested her hand on his shoulder, "Listen, we'll talk at home? I promise." With that she nudged him towards his jeep and turned back towards her own car.

* * *

The video store was too busy with the police and paramedics to do any detective work so she opted to go to the next best place for answers - Derek's.

One thing had been clear at the video store; it wasn't an animal attack - not in the traditional sense anyway. She intended to confront Derek and was making her way through the woods to his house. She was just out of sight when she heard voices. Once again there were hunters guarding the entrance but this time there was voices coming from inside.

She moved silently around the building so that she could see the main room from a small crack in a blacked window. She saw Kate pass in front of the gap and out of sight again, she wasn't out of earshot though.

She couldn't hear any commotion inside so stayed quiet, just listening. She heard Kate talking to Derek and could hear Derek's breathing getting faster. Kate started talking about his sister and Faith could hear the rage in his voice with each answer. The significant thing was that Kate told him that her family didn't kill his sister… and he believed her.

She kept listening as was able to garner two more things. The first was that Derek didn't know who the Alpha was. The second was that Kate was a total bitch.

The conversation inside went quiet so Faith moved back to the gap to watch. The room inside flashed blue and Derek's scream rang out, alongside Kate's laughing. Faith got up to help but the air was suddenly alive with gunfire. She ducked down out of view and listened as rounds hit the house; splintering wood and sending debris flying away from the walls in shards.

The gunfire stopped and was replaced by frenzied shouting. Only one sentence was important to her, and was the sentence they were all taking turns to shout.

"Where the fuck is he?"

* * *

Faith pushed open the front door to her uncles and sighed as she hung her leather jacket up on the coat rack. She could see Stiles sitting at the kitchen table, watching her.

She walked in to the kitchen and opened the cupboard, fishing out a big bag of potato chips. She popped it open and hopped on to the counter top. Neither one had spoken yet so when she took the first handful of chips and popped them in to her mouth, the resulting crunch felt deafening.

Faith looked at Stiles who just looked back at her. She swallowed her mouthful of chips and placed her hand back in to the bag. "What's up?" she said calmly.

He looked horrified, "Really?! That's what you're starting with? 'What's up?'!" He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Ok," he began softly, "I don't wanna go all Twilight on you here, but you're fast, and incredibly strong," he paused as if waiting for a response that never came. He continued, "_I_ punch Derek and nearly break my hand, _you_ hit him and not only are you fine, but he flinched! You snuck up on him at the school, which is impossible to do with a werewolf by the way, and pinned… **pinned**him to a wall! Not to mention you knew what Wolfsbane was from just the smell alone."

He looked frustrated, "You're too calm!" he pointed at her, "You're too calm now, you were too calm at the vet's… with the blood and the bullets and the hitting, roaring and biting... What are you?"

"Sorry to disappoint you cuz, but I'm not a vampire … or a werewolf while we're on the subject."

Stiles didn't look relieved, in fact he looked angry. "Then _what_ are you?" he yelled. "I've made a list and nothing fits!"

He thrust a crumpled piece of paper towards her which she pried open carefully. Faith scanned the piece of paper and realised it was a list… about her, or what Stiles thought she was.

She scanned at some of the entries and laughed, "You thought I was a superhero? I'm flattered and please, don't insult me by thinking I'm a hunter." Perusing more of the list she smiled, "Catwoman? Hmmm, I can see that, what with the leather and all. "

Stiles snatched the list back from her, "You promised me answers!"

"I promised we'd talk at home," she replied, "But yeah, I'll give you some answers."

She pulled the paper back from him and picked up a pen from the counter top. She scribbled a word on to the page and handed it back to him.

He looked down and read it aloud, "Slayer." His face lit up, "I KNEW IT!" he shouted, "Wait… that's… what is that?"

Faith jumped down from the counter and sat next to him at the table. "Here goes nothing."

She told him about Slayers from the very beginning; their history, their purpose, their victories and losses, their training as Slayers, how they had evolved over time and the army they now had at their disposal. Stiles never once spoke or questioned her, he just listened.

They spoke well in to the night about her life in Sunnydale, LA and Boston but chose to leave out the darker components of her past. Perhaps one day she would tell him but not now. She felt closer to him and her uncle than she had ever felt with anyone else outside of the old Scooby gang; she didn't want to jeopardize that.

Faith looked at him and smiled, "So, have at it. Any questions?"

Stiles sat back in the chair, he looked to be lost in thought for a moment. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table; his eyes never left Faith's. "Just let me get one thing straight… vampires are _real_?"


	6. F is for Family

**Chapter 6 - F is for Family**

Faith had left Stiles at the kitchen table, lost in his thoughts. She was tired after answering what seemed to be a million and one questions and affirming repeatedly that vampires definitely did not sparkle. At one point she thought Stiles was going to lose his shit when she told him that Buffy had gone up against _the_ Dracula. He then proceeded to ask what other monsters they had come across and had his own list to verify or quash each in turn. After discussing the existence of magic and witches Stiles had been disappointed to learn that Hogwarts was still fictional.

She made her way to her room and flopped down on the bed. She'd look for Derek in the morning; looking for him now could inadvertently lead the Argents to him.

Speaking so frankly about her life as a slayer had been liberating but she knew that the information she had withheld would still hold a tight grip on how much she could really relax here.

_No matter how far I go,_ she thought.

* * *

At the age of four, Faith's abusive father had been imprisoned for murder. She didn't know this until much later in her life, by which time her memories of him had faded in to obscurity. The years that followed had been a collection of bad memories; ranging from her mother's numerous and abusive boyfriends, her spotted education and the complete lack of any discipline. The thing that had always rang true though, was just how lonely she had felt.

Years of truanting, minor crimes and petty theft had led to her being taken from her mother and placed in to foster care. In one short year she has gone through three different families; each in turn less qualified to deal with her properly.

That was when her watcher, Diana, had intervened; taking her away from her old life and beginning her new one.

Diana had appeared as if from nowhere, claiming to be an aunt on her father's side; supplying all the right paper work and certificates. Faith knew that this was a fabrication but had long since stopped caring… if anything it was just another opportunity to be given food, water and accommodation until she was abandoned again.

This time though, her new guardian was more than capable of taking care of the wayward Faith.

Diana had made it clear from the beginning that she would be handled with an iron fist; offering the kind of discipline that she'd only ever read about or seen on TV. She was also promised that her commitment to this training would offer her something that she had longed for, purpose.

Diana had full documentation on Faith's life including family trees, each and every instance she had been in trouble and the information on her father's arrest. She had gone on to tell her about the Slayers and how they would gain their powers… upon the death of the Slayer before them. Faith was fifteen at the time and had to accept the fact that, in her future, she would have to protect the world from the occult and supernatural… a lot for a teenager to swallow.

After finding out about her slayer status, Faith had made the decision to separate herself from her family completely. Information was passed to her mother that she had moved overseas with her foster family. Her only other family was her aunt, Stella, on her mother's side, her husband Stan and her younger cousin. She had fond memories of them from family visits and held those memories deep down in a warm corner of her mind. She remembered them as being very kind. Her aunt was the polar opposite of Faith's mother; she was always so warm and inviting… everyone loved her.

For this reason she made it clear that they were never to be involved in her life again. Isolating them was the only real protection she could offer them, no matter how much anguish it may have caused.

Faith was sixteen when she heard that her mother had passed away. She grieved silently, refusing to let her emotions bubble to the surface. Her aunt and uncle had begun searching for her but Faith's efforts to keep them away had been successful in quashing any attempts they had made. They had been left with the same story given to her mother; she was overseas and living happily.

She was seventeen when their requests to find her dwindled away around this time and she was resigned to being that distant family member you know about but never see.

* * *

Faith had found out about her aunt's illness while she had been in prison. Angel had arranged legal representation for her and the lawyer had brought a comprehensive file on her and her 'past'.

She saw glimpses of information as he flicked through the pages; one that caught her off guard was the details of her Aunt Stella's illness. She remembered the urge to call her uncle; the urge to call and see how her aunt was.

The urge was promptly quelled by the information that followed… her aunt had passed away from her illness. The information was sharp in her gut, as if she has swallowed a Brachen demon whole. She hadn't so much as shown a glimmer of her true feelings on the matter but she mourned silently.

Over the weeks that followed, she had decided that staying away from them was still the correct thing to do. Whilst she knew that she could not have done anything to prevent her aunt's death, it saddened her that she didn't go to the funeral.

She hadn't thought about her family again until after Buffy had decided that she wanted to have a life and had set up home in Rome. Faith had travelled back and forth from Cleveland, Scotland and London but had never settled and set up a home base. After a night out with Dawn, and a bottle of tequila, she had spilled her guts about her family; prompting the journey that had ultimately lead to her arrival here in Beacon hills.

Her recent return to Beacon Hills had still been a stark reminder of how much she had sacrificed in her years of 'duty'. Her uncle, a man that had been out of her life for years, and her cousin had accepted her in to their home and had treated her like family from the word go… Well, they _were_ family but they had made her _feel_ like family; something she treasured.

Her years she had been trained to withhold her emotions, letting anger fuel her actions. For the first time, she had emotions that she wanted to celebrate; not hide. The problem was that she didn't know how. She had seen the small smile her uncle had when he saw her and Stiles together and she hoped that he knew how important they were to her… she also hoped that she was just as important to them.

* * *

Now that Stiles knew everything, he'd been free to fill her in on everything that had been going on. He told her about the Alpha, about the Argents, Kate, Derek's lineage and how he was born a wolf rather than being bitten like Scott… he also told her all about Lydia; nothing supernatural there unless 'soul mate' syndrome and delusional behaviour counted.

The way he spoke about her made it clear that this wasn't just a crush; he would happily go to any length to keep her safe. He had even visited her following the video store attack when no one else had. He told Faith about the drugged state she had been in and told her about a photo that Lydia had on her phone… a picture of the Alpha in wolf form.

Faith had asked him to show her it but he told her that he had deleted it from the phone. She wasn't angry with him; in fact she could see he had the right motives when he made the decision. The picture wouldn't really have offered them any more than they already knew so it wasn't a significant loss.

It was then that she noticed it, something that had been hinted at already but never as clearly as this; Stiles was fiercely loyal to his friends and whilst afraid, he would face his fears head on every time if it meant he could protect those important to him… he was incredibly brave, even if he didn't realise it.

Faith asked him to keep the information about the photo to himself. She didn't think that the others would be as understanding as her about him deleting it. When Stiles asked if she would tell Derek about who she was, she said that she would update Derek when _he _was ready.

Stiles laughed and picked up his phone, quickly speed dialling Scott and pressing it to his ear. Faith could hear the automated answering service starting but Stiles hung up quickly, redialled and placed it to his ear again. He did this a few times more before finally leaving a message:

"Dude! I've been trying to reach you. Call me when you get this!"

* * *

The radio in Stiles' room crackled to life, "We've got calls coming in about a 10-91V at the High School. Nearby officers are requested to attend. Control over." With that it was silent once again.

Stiles looked at her and his face drained of colour, "That's a vicious animal attack!" He hopped up and pulled on his jacket quickly.

Faith wasn't really sure why he was as panicked as he was. "It's five by five," she reassured him, "we'll just head down there and see what's going on."

"You don't get it!" he shouted as he pulled his Converse on, "My dad's there. It's parent and teacher night. "

Faith picked up her jacket without another word and followed Stiles out, jumping in to the passenger seat of his jeep just in time to avoid being left behind.

As they made their way to the school Faith started to feel guilty; she had opted to skip her patrolling duties for today to talk to Stiles and couldn't help but feel that this could have been avoided. The radio never gave anything more away and both she and Stiles were running through numerous scenarios in their minds about what it was, what had happened and who, if anyone, had it happened to.

As they were about to pull in to the parking lot of the school, Stiles' phone lit up and vibrated loudly; dancing across the dashboard. With one hand still on the wheel he flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear.

He was quiet for a moment before looking shocked, "A mountain lion!" he glimpsed at Faith as if she had the answer to a question he hadn't actually asked.

She continued to listen as Scott told him about what had happened and how Chris Argent had been the one that shot it. Faith couldn't help but think that the lion had been a decoy; trying to make people think the recent attacks were in fact a just a lion, that was now dead. It would draw people away, leading them back in to a false sense of security. '_Rest easy and go back to your safe little homes'_ she thought. It was a tactic she'd seen used many times before by many bad people.

* * *

Stiles was pissed at Scott and had avoided him for a couple of days. He was angry that Scott hadn't been at the school when he was supposed to be; instead disappearing for the day with Allison. On top of that, he hadn't answered his phone all day… even when Stiles really needed him. _How many missed calls does it take before you realise that the call is important and PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!_ he thought angrily.

Faith's uncle had been quick to point out that this had been the longest they had gone without speaking. He even recalled a time when Stiles had been grounded for cursing at the neighbours in Latin. Apparently, Stiles had thought it had been smart to learn curse words in different languages so he wouldn't get into trouble - he had just made the mistake of picking the one language her uncle was well versed in. On each of the eleven days he had been grounded, Scott had snuck in to his room. Her uncle had known every time, being in law enforcement definitely helped, but he had let them be. He told her it was for two reasons: first, keeping them apart was too cruel a punishment and second, letting Scott in meant that Stiles wasn't getting in to trouble somewhere else.

"Maybe he's growing up?" he said hesitantly.

Faith smiled at him doubtfully but didn't reply.

"Yeah, I know… votum repute," he smiled back, "That's Latin for 'wishful thinking'"

* * *

Over the days that followed, Faith had noticed Stiles doing more research into werewolves, the paranormal and occult and now Slayers too.

She was worried about him but decided to wait until he came to her with any more questions. She didn't have to wait long though as he approached her that same evening, she just wasn't expecting what he going to ask.

"Can someone _learn _to control their emotions… like anger?" he asked.

She sat down next to him on the couch, "Scott?"

"Yeah," he replied wearily.

"Wouldn't Derek be better for this? I'm not a wolf or anything so the best that I could come up with is sceptical at best."

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, that's not really a good idea for me. One on ones with Derek tends to end up with me in some physical pain or being threatened that he'll tear out my throat with his teeth." He saw the look of anger on Faith's face but continued, "What I meant to say is that Derek isn't exactly helpful. Sure, he has awesome control but his social skills are lacking somewhat… he's no Yoda. He also has this thing where he scares me, like, a lot. I'm not really proficient in Derek speak at the best of times so that's a no go on going to Derek about this."

"What makes you think I can help?" she asked.

"You deal with having abilities that aren't exactly natural don't you? How do you control your emotions? What do you do when you get angry?"

"Kiddo, you have no idea how loaded a question that is," Faith looked sullen for a moment, "Well, other than viciously beating vamps in to an ashy pulp… I run. Meditation could help but it's not really a quick fix."

Stiles looked dubious, "Isn't there a saying that you shouldn't run from your feelings or something?"

Faith shook her head and smiled, "I don't run from my emotions Stiles. Taking off at a sprint with no destination in mind is liberating. It offers me a freedom that I can't replicate in other ways. I run to clear my mind so that I can figure out stuff that's been bothering me and learn to deal with it."

"That's what I use the bathroom for… it's my epiphany throne," Stiles said, lost in thought for a second.

Faith grimaced, "No, not quite the same thing cuz. Someone once referred to my running as my anchor." Faith paused to let Stiles take in what she said. "Maybe that's what you need to do with Scott – find his anchor."

Stiles thought this over and it made sense to him; Allison could be Scott's anchor. Her presence was enough to calm his mind and it had brought him back from the brink more than once. He just needed proof.

* * *

Stiles confronted Scott in the school locker room with his findings and, with Faith's permission, had told him what she was. Scott hadn't believed him at first but had seen all the same things Stiles had seen and had to admit that this explanation fitted. This acceptance still came after Scott had had a slight freak out about more weirdness coming into his life that wasn't needed. Stiles had taken the opportunity to tell him that it was actually more weirdness coming into _his_ life and that he rather liked having Faith around.

Stiles told him that he thought Alison was his anchor but Scott pulled away from him.

"I told you what Derek said in the parking garage!" Scott shouted, "Women make you weak!"

Stiles looked horrified, standing open-mouthed. "Women make you… explain Faith? She's _far_ from weak," he pointed at Scott, pressing his finger in to his chest, "She's all Xena Warrior-Kick-Ass and she pinned Derek to a wall, and then the floor and…" he trailed off, lost in thought for a second before looking concerned, "I really think I need to have words with my cousin."

Scott pushed his hand away. "But Faith isn't a wolf!" he scowled. "Look at Derek. He's alone but he's strong… he's in control."

Stiles nodded limply, "True, but he's also creepy and currently resides in a burnt out shell of a house, which I might like to add, makes him even more of a creepy creeper – which I didn't think could actually be possible. I'm not gonna let you end up like Derek… and neither will Faith. We'll figure something out together."

* * *

Faith and Stiles sat at the dinner table in his kitchen; three pizzas were stacked in front of them. They had been sitting for a while and oddly, the conversation had stayed 'normal'. If normal being Stiles describing in detail how he purposely provoked Scott by launching lacrosse balls at him, just to see how quickly he could lose it and then calm himself down after, or, how he ended up in detention with Scott then quickly finishing that he had been right all along and Allison was Scott's anchor. The detention had been worth it apparently as it proved he was right over Derek – Stiles may be afraid of the werewolf but he was never going to waste getting one-upmanship on him. Faith had kept her opinions on the whole 'women make you weak' speech to herself and made a mental note to show Derek exactly how weak she could make him; she still had that pent up energy to let loose.

Her uncle came into the dining room and placed his jacket on the back of a chair; rubbing the back of his neck wearily. He looked at the banquet they had collected and looked back to them, "Can I join you?"

Stiles nodded and pushed a pizza box towards him. He smiled and sat down. He looked at the pile of cheese, meat, tomato and crust that they were each working their way through. He took a deep breath in, smelling the warm meaty aroma on the air_. 'Jesus that's good'_ he thought.

He popped the box open then closed it again. Looking at Stiles he grumbled, "Vegetarian?"

"What? It's good for you. It'll make you grow big and strong." He replied.

He laughed, "At my age son, you stop growing tall and start growing wide… and I don't much care about that anymore," he smiled, "now gimme a real piece!"

Stiles reluctantly pushed his box over so that his dad could prise a slice free. Anyone else would have thought that Stiles was being selfish or greedy but Faith could see that he was actually afraid; afraid of losing his dad. If that meant he had to force feed him the healthy stuff then she knew that he would not only stick to it, he'd carry it out with conviction… and she'd help him anyway she could.

"Uncle Stan, you could get healthy and fit by coming running with me in the morning. All that fresh air… it would be good for you." Faith watched as her uncle paused with the pizza slice at his mouth. "I think a couple of miles would do you wonders and you can burn off all the calories you consume. What do you think?" Faith winked at Stiles slyly.

"Uh… well, Faith that would…, "her uncle started. He slowly placed the pizza slice down and back into the box.

"… Be a great idea!" Stiles finished, catching on to what Faith was doing. He ignored the look of dismay he was receiving from his dad. "With Faith getting you fit then you won't have me breathing down your neck anymore. You can eat whatever you want." For emphasis he pushed the pizza box towards his dad.

Faith watched her uncle contemplate what she and Stiles had said. She could see that he really wouldn't mind getting Stiles to lay off with the healthy eating but he knew that running with Faith would be an extreme commitment… and not one he was comfortable signing up for at this moment in time.

With a frown, her uncle pushed the pizza box back at Stiles and pulled the box with the vegetable pizza towards him, taking out a slice.

"Thanks for the offer, and I know you could help but I think I'll stick to the veggies." He looked down forlornly at his food, "Yummy," he said unenthusiastically.

"Your loss," Faith said, shrugging lightly in her best attempt to look nonchalant.

With the conversation of her uncle's eating habits put to rest, Faith gave Stiles a wink as he mouthed a silent thank you to her before tucking back into his pizza.

* * *

When Faith's uncle had first made contact with her she had told him she was a P.E teacher in an all-girls school. It was more of a 'lax' version of the truth than an all-out lie. On arriving in Beacon Hills it had afforded her a perfect reason to go out running every morning, evening and night. She knew that her previous duties with the Slayer school were no longer in such immediate demand but hadn't yet made the decision to actually move away yet… she couldn't deny that it had crossed her mind a lot since her arrival here.

Her uncle had asked her what her plans were and she had told him that she was taking a break from her teaching career. She had told him how much she had enjoyed being here and to her surprise he was just as forthcoming; telling her he felt the same way.

He had told her how much it meant to him to have her back in their lives; he also made it clear that he loved the relationship she had established with Stiles. He explained that his work was always going to create times that where he couldn't be there and he couldn't begin to say how much it meant that she was there for Stiles… and subsequently to keep him out of trouble.

Faith knew that her uncle wanted to probe further in to the years he had missed out on but could tell that he was avoiding the subject. She didn't think for a minute that he had abandoned his curiosity; just that he was waiting for the right time – like father, like son.

She realised that Stiles had inherited his 'bull shit detector' from his dad as they had the same unwavering stare when something was amiss. Faith was content to stay quiet about everything just now; she was happy to finally be part of a real family and didn't want to jeopardise that. She definitely didn't want to worry her uncle, especially with things the way they were at the moment.

All that mattered right now was family and she would kill to protect that… literally.


	7. G is for Growl

**A/N:** A massive thank you to those of you who have read, favourite and reviewed this fic. It's appreciated and loads of love to you all.

**Chapter 7 - G is for Growl**

Faith awoke to silence; no alarms, no ringtones and no Stiles. She stretched and hopped out of bed, feeling the soft carpet against her bare feet. She yawned loudly, enjoying the rare moment of solace before making her way for the door.

She made her way downstairs to the kitchen and paused, listening intently; the silence hadn't lost its novelty yet. She smiled and opened the fridge door; pulling out a carton of milk before grabbing a box of 'Maple Loops' from the kitchen counter. Faith hopped up onto her new favourite spot on the kitchen counter; the exact spot where she could look out to the backyard and the woods beyond and preceded to enjoy this rare peaceful morning and took her first mouthful of her breakfast. She smiled slightly at the feeling like she had woken up in an alternative reality; one where she was normal.

She shook her head to dislodge the thought. As much as it felt nice and even comforting, to picture that life; she knew that she would miss this one too much.

She let her mind wonder as she ate, replaying events of the last few nights in her mind. Her cousin and Scott now knew who and what she was … whether that was a good or bad idea wasn't yet confirmed, but she was optimistic.

Faith was still worried about what had happened at the Hale house the previous day with the hunters and Kate Argent. She wasn't stupid to think that Derek and Kate didn't have history, even if she hadn't heard part of their conversation, but what kind exactly she knew she had to find out and soon, especially if their normal meetings ended up with Kate torturing Derek and him running from a barrage of bullets.

It wasn't as though she was worried about Derek, she wasn't and that was the story she was sticking to, but she had to admit that through the broodiness and grimaces, he wasn't that bad. The guy was damaged, anyone could see that, and Faith would have been surprised if he wasn't considering everything he had went through but even if she didn't want to admit it right then, she felt a pull to the grouchy wolf. After that day in the woods, when he pinned her to the forest floor, she had felt… something, she wasn't sure exactly what but there had been a feeling.

Faith stopped her train of thought about Derek before hopping off the counter. She finished her breakfast and placed the bowl next to the sink; she'd wash it later and headed upstairs to get dressed. A while later she came down to the living room, freshly showered and changed, and made herself comfortable on the couch with her laptop. She popped it open and watched as the screen recovered itself to the last web page visited; she didn't know what 'World of Warcraft' was but she knew it had been Stiles. He'd started using her laptop after she revealed it was connected to the Council's library and now she regularly found it either in the kitchen or Stiles' bedroom. She toyed with the idea of checking the recent browsing history but finally decided that it wasn't in her best interests – she just hoped Stiles used it for only research and kept his other 'activities' confined to his own laptop. She opened her emails to find one from Dawn and Buffy, asking how she was.

She began to fill them in on what had happened, what was still happening and what was likely to happen; deciding that she couldn't really keep it secret from them. She explained that Stiles knew what she was and reaction to that revelation. She went on to tell them about her uncle, about Derek, about Stiles and Scott… and of course gave them an update on the whole werewolf situation.

The laptop beeped as the reply came up on screen. Dawn had replied, stating that she knew Faith could handle herself and had no doubts that this would be any different and to welcome her to Team Jacob. She explained what had happened in her absence but nothing really stood out as being unusual… or interesting; Cleveland had really lost its edge.

At the foot of the email Dawn had written one line that caught in Faith's throat as she read it,

"We're missing you back here, but you sound happier than you have in a long time. You sound like you are finally home."

* * *

She had closed the laptop screen just in time to hear Stiles' phone going off in one of the other rooms. She hadn't realised how late it had gotten as night was already beginning to fall; she had spent almost most of the day talking to Dawn.

"Dammit Stiles," she yelled, "How can you leave your phone at home so often?"

She knew she'd never get an answer to that question. Stiles was the kind of person that ends up on TV because they had realised they'd left their fake leg on the bus!

She had begun to work out who was calling by the different ringtones he had assigned to each person. She couldn't help but appreciate that he had given her one too; avoiding any teeny bopping pop noise and choosing well with Florence and the Machine's, 'Kiss with a Fist'.

The sound of Duran Duran filled her ears and she knew that it was Scott. She also knew that it probably came with trouble. As she stood up, the front door opened and Stiles darted past her and in to the dining room. She could overhear part of their conversation but was only able to distinguish a few words from Siles – school, flashlight, bolt cutters. Call her paranoid, but the evidence suggested that dumber and dumbest were up to something.

* * *

Stiles ran out of the dining room and dashed upstairs, passing by Faith without so much as a word. Faith made her way upstairs, just in time to see him flying out his room with his jacket half on and a flashlight in his hand. As he tried to rush past, Faith reached out quickly and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt; yanking him back towards her. He croaked and stumbled backwards; managing to right himself to avoid completely losing his balance. He turned towards Faith who was looking at him intensely, mere inches from his face.

"Faith?... um what's up?" he stammered in his best attempt to sound cavalier as he attempted to straighten up his haphazard clothing.

"Where're you going off to in such a hurry?" She asked. Her arms were folded to let him know he wasn't getting passed her easily. She waited but he didn't respond. "Has Lydia finally realised you are in fact awesome and has pledged her undying love for you? Begging for you to rush over there as fast as you can so that you can ravish her?"

Stiles looked horrified at Faith's sarcasm; "Hey!" his voice was indignant. "That will happen one day! I've invested a lot of birthday wishes on it!"

"Yeah, well now you've told me so it won't come true!" Faith said, straight faced.

Stiles stood open mouthed for a second, "Too mean… too mean!" he conceded.

"Scott called you… what are you up to?"

"How did you…?"

"Ringtone," she answered before he could even finish the question. "So kiddo, what do you need bolt cutters for?"

"Since when did Slayers have werewolf hearing?" he grumbled.

"Cute, but don't try and change the subject!" she demanded.

He sighed deeply, realising that he wasn't going anywhere until he spilled his guts. "Ok, Ok…Derek and Scott have kidnapped Doctor Deaton as Derek thinks he's the Alpha. Scott said something about stopping Derek beating the crap out Deaton to prove he's the Alpha and that he thinks Scott is linked with the Alpha, like some weird hive mind Borg type situation. Anyhoo, we are going to the school so Scott can get his howl on. If it works then we can find out if Deaton is the Alpha and Derek can put the wolf powered smack down on him."

Faith just stood there in silence for a moment as Stiles stood looking at her.

She finally spoke, "Doctor Deaton is the vet, right?" Stiles nodded before she continued. "And you are going to the school so that Scott can… howl?" She shook her head, as Stiles nodded again. "And if, and I mean if, Derek is right and Deaton is the Alpha… What makes you think Derek can even take him out?" Faith questioned.

Stiles was dumbstruck, realising for the first time that they hadn't even considered that variable. He opened his mouth to reply but closed it just as quickly when nothing came out.

Faith resumed, "It's already killed a werewolf by ripping her in half! Not to mention the slew of bodies it seems to be leaving all over town! And did you forget about the school bus that it tore apart, or the video store!? "

"Uh…"

Faith sighed. "Grab what you need and wait in the car!" She ordered him as she headed towards her room.

"What?" Stiles asked dumbly as he watched her go.

Faith paused at her open bedroom door and turned to face Stiles. "Did you really think I was just gonna let you both go on your own?"

"Well…" Stiles rubbed his neck uncomfortably.

"You're going to need protection." She pointed out.

"From?"

Faith shrugged, "Derek, the Alpha… yourself. Take your pick!"

Stiles began to argue with her about needing protection from himself but remained silent; nodding in agreement instead. He knew she was right; he just didn't want to give her the satisfaction of actually saying it.

Faith nodded back, "Now go wait in the car, I'll be down in five."

She listened to Stiles mumbling to himself as he headed downstairs. She shook her head and sighed deeply before grabbing her jacket, making sure her newly wolfsbane coated knives were carefully hidden on the inside; gut instinct telling her she may just need them.

She as she made her past Stiles' room, Scott's ringtone went off again. Sighing deeply, she picked up the phone from Stiles' desk and headed downstairs. She wondered briefly if she should superglue the damn thing to him, maybe then he'd stop leaving it everywhere.

* * *

Stiles swerved the jeep to a halt in front of Scott's house. The door opened and Scott ran out and down to the car, slowing down as he drew close to the passenger side door. He looked at Faith through the window and then to Stiles; opening his mouth to speak before closing it again.

Faith wound down the window, "Problem?" She asked.

Scott shook his head and jumped in the back. He figured that the extra back up could only be a good thing at this point… then again, he didn't really think that they had any other choice; Faith didn't look like she was in any mood to get left behind.

They sped off towards the school without saying another word between them. As they drew in to the car park they could see that Derek had not arrived yet. Faith looked up at the school and had a brief flash back of Sunnydale High School and being there after hours; fighting demons or training with the Buffy and the Scoobs. She didn't think she'd be doing something like that again… Then again, she hadn't counted on getting a whole new group of Scoobs either.

"Déjà vu," She mumbled.

Stiles and Scott turned to look at her but she just shrugged and made herself comfortable, leaning against the jeep.

"This is a terrible idea," she said suddenly, "I just want to be the one to put that out there!"

Stiles and Scott answered simultaneously, "We know."

"But you're still going to through with it aren't you?" she said, smiling subtlety.

Scott looked at Faith, "Can you think of something better?"

Stiles butted in, "Personally, I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until it goes away." He looked from Scott to Faith and then back again. Both returned his gaze with disdain.

"And how's that worked out for you so far?" Faith asked.

"Surprisingly… it hasn't, but I remain optimistic," he answered with his usual sarcasm.

Scott began to shift uneasily on the spot, "Let's just make sure we can get inside."

Stiles took out the bolt cutters and flashlight from the back of his jeep.

"Should I be proud or concerned that breaking and entering runs in our family?" Faith quipped.

Stiles merely at grinned at her, but was stopped from giving a retort as Derek drove in to the car park at that moment, pulling up alongside Stiles' jeep.

"Where's my boss?" Scott shouted as Derek stepped from the car.

Derek slammed the door shut. "In the back," he growled.

Scott and Stiles both peered in to the Camaro to see a bound and duck taped Deaton in the back of the car.

Stiles looked up and glared at Derek. "He looks comfortable," he said scornfully.

Derek ignored him, instead looking past Stiles to see Faith beside the jeep.

Faith smiled widely and gave him a small wave, all the while knowing that it would piss him off.

Derek pressed his finger in to Stiles' chest, "What's she doing here?!"

Stiles winced at the finger now pushed in to his ribs, "Protection." He stepped away from Derek and rubbed where Derek had poked him.

Faith grinned coyly at Derek, "Smelling fresh and clean too," she said, winking one eye at him.

Stiles looked between Faith and Derek, "Did I miss something?" he looked at Scott who looked back blankly at him and shrugged before returning his gaze to Faith. "Do we need to have a discussion about why we shouldn't be playing with werewolves?"

"Define playing?" she asked innocently.

"Well, I would define it as to take part in an enjoyable activity simply for the sake of amusement… How would you define it?" Stiles enquired, turning his attention to Faith, momentarily forgetting Derek and Scott were behind him. It wasn't lost on him that he'd has this kind of conversation with his dad numerous times and had a sudden feeling of apprehension as to what Faith would come back with.

Faith took a moment, staring up at the night sky, and thought about her answer. She smiled and looked back to a waiting Stiles. "To utilise an object for one's _own_ enjoyment," she answered, her emphasis on the word 'own' had her eyes briefly flit to Derek before coming back on Stiles.

"I... You…That's…," Stiles stuttered. He hadn't expected _that_ answer and it showed as he blushed. A cough behind him had him turning to see a Scott and Derek watching them with interest, or what Stiles thought was interest from Derek's frown. "Let's go and break into the school, shall we?" Stiles turned to Scott and nodded in the direction of the school.

Scott looked between Faith, Stiles and Derek, shook his head in confusion and followed Stiles. He didn't even want to know what had just happened; sometimes his ignorance really was bliss.

Derek looked dumbstruck, "What are you doing?"

Scott turned back to look at him, moving backwards as he spoke so that he was still closing the distance between him, Stiles and the school, "You said I was linked with the Alpha. Let's see if you are right."

Faith grabbed Stiles and Scott as they walked past her, "Be careful. If anything happens, I don't care what it is, you run. No heroics!"

Stiles and Scott nodded in agreement and headed off towards the school, leaving Derek and Faith watching them. Faith jumped up on to the hood of Stiles' jeep and sighed dramatically, quite obviously already bored. She glanced at Derek who was looking grim, "Wanna play a game? I don't want to brag but I kinda rock at eye spy." Faith waited for a response but got nothing, "No? How about…?

"You aren't going to stay quiet, are you?" he scowled, as he looked up at her.

"Nope, especially now that I know it gets to you." She smiled widely, "Ooh, let's _make_ a game out of that."

"You're surprisingly cavalier, considering we just kidnapped someone." He said.

"No… _you_ just kidnapped someone…," Faith pointed at him, "and what makes you think this is my first kidnapping?"

Derek raised his eyebrow at her and she could tell he was sceptical. She could also see he had been listening for a lie in her heartbeat and she couldn't help her inward smile at the fact she was being truthful and he now knew it.

"Wow! I didn't think I came across as such an amateur," she feigned shock.

Derek didn't respond but Faith could tell that it was torturing him inside that he didn't have a comeback.

"I still see you are dodging bullets," she said, "I'm beginning to think this is a common thing with you. Then again, I'm think it's more of a 'you and Kate Argent' thing." She caught the glare in his eyes and watched as his back stiffened.

"You were at the house?" he questioned in surprise. "Why?"

"I got lost," she offered and shrugged. "Considering that your house is being watched, where have _you_ been?" Faith asked, giving away more concern than she had realised as Derek's head lifted and he stared at her in slight shock.

"You sound like you care."

"Maybe I do." Faith confessed as she turned her gaze to the school. "Funny that…," she whispered to herself but knew Derek could hear her.

Before Derek respond, they heard a high pitched gargling squeal coming over the loud speakers. They both looked up, grimacing. When it stopped, Derek shook his head, his eyes closed.

"You have got to be kidding me?" he muttered.

"Are you sure he's a werewolf?" Faith quizzed. "That sounded like a cat with a hairball!"

Derek glared at her silently, a look which Faith happily returned.

Suddenly the loud speakers came to life once again, this time vibrating with the power of the howl that followed. Faith's hair stood on end as it resonated through her bones. She saw Derek stiffen up and could tell that he was experiencing a similar sensation.

Once it had finally stopped, Scott and Stiles both exited the school. Scott looked proud. Derek looked pissed off. Faith truly thought that he might explode on the spot.

"I'm gonna kill both of you!" he screamed.

Stiles and Scott stopped beside the jeep, staying close to Faith. Faith knew Derek wasn't being serious but she readied herself anyway.

"What the hell was that? Are you trying to attract the whole state to the school?" Derek snapped.

"Sorry, I didn't know it would be that loud," Scott apologised.

Stiles still looked excited, "It was loud and it was awesome!"

"Shut up," Derek demanded as he shot a death glare at him.

Stiles looked at his feet and mumbled, "Don't be such a sour wolf."

Faith laughed, patting Scott on the back. "Simba finally found his roar, let him enjoy the moment." She jumped down from the hood of the jeep, putting herself between Stiles and Derek; she didn't think Derek appreciated his new nickname.

Stiles smiled up at Faith, "And that there people is why I am proud she's family!" He announced to Derek and Scott.

Faith laughed as she cuffed him around the head. She couldn't help the small stutter of her heart at Stiles' words.

"Rude! I say something nice and you hit me, no fair. I can take it back." Stiles rubbed the back of his head and glared at Scott, who had been laughing at the exchange. "It's not funny," he pouted.

Faith and Scott continued to laugh as Derek watched the conversation in silence. Scott stopped as he turned to face Derek's car. "What did you do to him?" He demanded.

Derek stared at Scott in shock, "What?" he answered in confusion as he turned his attention to the car, which was now Deaton free. "I didn't do anything."

Before Scott could argue, Faith broke in, "He's right. We haven't moved from this spot the entire time you two were away." She looked behind Derek to the empty back seat and wondered how the hell Deaton escaped without either of them knowing, or sensing it. Faith moved towards the car but stopped short in front of Derek as she realised that the hairs on the back of her neck were still on end and she couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. She looked around at their surroundings; ignoring the questioning looks from Derek.

"Guys, something isn't…" she started but was stopped as Derek's body pushed forward. Faith glanced down to see claws protruding from his abdomen. She looked up in disbelief to see Derek's puzzled expression as his body was raised and blood poured from his mouth.

Without a pause, Faith turned on her heel and grabbed Scott and Stiles, who stared at her in fear, "Run!" She shouted as she pushed them both in the direction of the school.

Both boys froze a moment before running, neither noticing in their panic that Faith wasn't behind them any longer.

Faith watched Stiles and Scott run in to the school and watched as they disappeared behind the double doors. She stole a glance to her right to see Derek's body being thrown across the parking lot and land on a grassy verge; his eyes open and for all intense and purposes looked dead.

With the Alpha's attention on Derek, Faith moved forward with determination as she took in its impressive size, her hands going for the knives stored in her jacket. She had fought bigger and badder monsters in the past, she hadn't lied to Derek about that, but she still found herself staring at the Alpha in amazement.

Without warning, the Alpha rounded on Faith and growled deeply.

'_No surprise sneak attack for you,' _she thought as the Alpha stalked towards her. Not one for backing away, Faith braced herself for attack. She blocked the first claw that swung towards her with well-timed roundhouse but wasn't quick enough to dodge the next as the Alpha's clawed arm came out of nowhere and knocked her flying back over the hood of Stiles' jeep. Her back smacked against the cold steel, dazing her momentarily. The Alpha grabbed her leg and pulled her forwards sharply. The force he used caused her to fall in to the gap between him and the jeep; her head struck the concrete with a thud and she blacked out.

* * *

Faith woke with a jolt. Her head throbbed and as she moved she felt like at least two ribs were broken. She winced and reached her hand up to her forehead. She felt blood on her and could feel the warm trickle where rivulets of blood were still flowing freely.

After a few seconds she willed her body to move to a crouched position. She took a deep breath and stood up. She looked around to find the parking lot quiet and Alpha free. She walked around the jeep tentatively, making sure that she kept her attention focussed on the environment around her. In her weakened state she had to ensure that she was not surprised by another attack. As she rounded the jeep she could see that the hood was torn open; large gouges had been cut through the steel and a large hole was visible where the metal had been yanked free. She looked in to the hole and realised that the battery had been mostly torn out; leaving only fragments of broken metal and the ruined remnants of the engine itself.

She headed over to Derek, still keeping her mind open and senses alert. She leant down towards him and established a pulse. She sighed with relief before dragging him over to lie beside the Camaro.

"I'll be back for you later," she said, not entirely convinced that he could hear her.

She heard a roar ring out from the school… she knew it wasn't Scott this time. She picked up the bolt cutters that Stiles had dropped in his haste to get away and ran towards the school.

* * *

Faith found Scott and Stiles in one of the classrooms. As she burst in to the room Stiles jumped and landed in what she figured was a B movie kung Fu pose.

"My crouching tiger is better than your flying crane," she said, trying to diffuse his panic.

Stiles smiled weakly, "The joke's on you… this is my 'fluffy panda' and it'll beat your crouching tiger any day of the week!"

Scott hadn't even turned round and Faith could tell that he knew or felt _something_, even if he couldn't verbalise it. She looked around and saw broken glass on the floor below a shattered window; the battery from the jeep lay a few feet away.

A loud smash from the corridor caused all three of them to spin towards the door. Faith signed for them to run, pointing to the exit at the other side of the room. Stiles looked concerned but she urged him to go with Scott. As they left the room she opened the door and ran down the corridor towards the location of the noise. As she rounded a corner she came face to face with a pair of blocked double doors. She pressed her face to the glass and saw a dark object rush past.

"Come on doggy, time to come out and play," she shouted. She stepped back and steadied herself; with one kick the doors spun open in a shower of splintered wood. She pulled two blades free from her belt and stepped in to the darkness.

A loud scream filled the halls, filtering down from the locker room. Faith suddenly felt afraid. Not afraid of the big ol' daddy wolf but afraid that Stiles could actually get hurt; he wasn't trained or battle hardened like her other friends and was vulnerable to all of the things she often took for granted.

She ran down the hall with renewed vigour in the direction of the locker room. As she ran into the room she saw a trail of blood leading to the janitor's office. She stepped forwards and saw the janitor slam against the glass on the other side of the door, spraying blood from his mouth across the slick surface. She heard another door inside the room break, followed by the sound of the Alpha running. She ran back to the hall and in the direction that the Alpha would have to run. As she got to the last room she found Scott and Stiles who had trapped the Alpha on the other side of a door. Faith laid her hand on Stiles' should and he yelped as if in pain.

"What the hell… I nearly pooped myself!" he confessed.

Scott smiled but the slight tremor in his lip gave away that he had been startled too. Faith looked through the door to see the Alpha pacing back and forth angrily; his red eyes were vibrant and remained fixed on hers.

"We need to get out of here now," Faith urged.

Stiles tried to push past her to take a look but she pulled him back.

"This isn't a zoo!" she said, shaking him lightly.

Stiles still tried to peer over her shoulder, "I just want one look," he begged, "please?"

He looked through the grate in the door and watched as the Alpha jumped up into the roof cavity. All three of them looked up as the roof began to buckle under the weight of the Alpha.

"Go!" She yelled, grabbing them both and urging them to bolt.

A ringtone caught Scott's attention, "Alison," he said, stopping.

"What?" Faith said.

"Allison, she's here in the school," He looked panicked.

Faith looked back but couldn't see the Alpha. "Go get her and get the hell out of here!" she pushed them both forwards through the double doors but didn't follow. As soon as they were clear of the doors she pulled them shut, broke the bars and twisted them together; locking her in with the Alpha.

Stiles turned back to see Faith looking back at him through the glass. He didn't need to ask what she was doing but that didn't mean that he agreed with her.

"What are you doing!?" He screamed.

"I can hold him off while you and Scott grab Allison… I'll give you time to get out."

"Are you crazy?" he said, his voice high, "How can you think this is a good idea?... This is the worst idea of every worst idea ever created!" his eyes began to tear up, "You saw what it did to Derek and the janitor. Don't do this… please, don't do this," he urged.

Faith smiled lightly, "Slayer, remember? I _have_ to do this… now go!"

"I don't care! I am not leaving you here to die. What do I tell dad? He doesn't know about any of this… you've only just came back… you can't leave again. You are not doing this! I won't let you do this!" he begged uncontrollably as he pushed and kicked at the closed doors, trying to pry them open.

Faith turned away from him as a low growl emanated from the other end of the corridor; the shadow of the Alpha was creeping along the lockers. She turned back to see Stiles looking at her in horror and she knew that he had heard the growl as well.

"Open the door!" he demanded, fear evident in his voice.

"Listen to me Stiles. I do stuff like this all the time. Just go with Scott and get to safety," she nodded at Scott who took the cue to intervene.

Scott put his arms round Stiles from behind and began to pull him away from the door. Stiles began to kick and wiggle in an attempt to get free.

"Let me go Scott! I'm not leaving her!" he yelled, flailing wildly. A rogue fist managed to catch Scott in the chin, causing him to let Stiles go who rushed back to the door.

"Stiles!" she shouted sternly, "If I get out then I'll go back home. Do you hear me? I'll go back to the house." She gave him a forced smile.

Stiles nodded but couldn't bear to turn away from her. He opened his mouth to speak but she suddenly dropped out of view. Stiles smacked himself against the glass in time to hear Faith's jaw crack against the tiled floor as she was dragged backwards in to the shadows; leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

Stiles banged against the door with his full weight, pulling and pushing at the handles in an attempt to break through as he helplessly screamed for Faith.

* * *

The Alpha dragged Faith through the corridors as if she was a weightless rag doll. Stiles' screams were still ringing in her ears.

She was suddenly thrown violently, smashing in to a wall and falling to the floor. She pushed herself up and realised that she was in a basketball court. She could hear the Alpha prowling back and forth behind her. His warm dank breath filled her nostrils and the beat of his heart thumped like a drum; it was hurried but in no way laboured.

She knew that he could have gone in for the kill already_, so why hasn't he? _She thought. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was 'toying' with her… how very un-wolf like. She pushed herself up and turned to face him; her jaw felt loose and she could feel her blood trickling down her chin, it was probably broken.

The Alpha was on all fours but had stopped pacing. He faced her head on; his eyes like piercing rubies cutting through the darkness. She heard the movement before she saw it, his entire weight slammed right in to her; the power he had made it feel like she had just tried to hug a moving freight train. She was winded but landed lightly on her feet before launching herself upwards and over his head. As she landed she punched him in the back, aiming for the liver and kidneys. His flesh was rough with coarse hair across it but her punch connected and he howled in pain.

She punched the same spot again but he quickly turned and grabbed her by the arm on her third attempt. She kicked up at his face and her foot connected with his chin, dazing him momentarily. He growled loudly and threw her across the court, slamming in to the bleachers. Pain tore through her shoulder as she heard a disgusting click and schlurp noise; her arm was bent behind her at an odd angle and she knew right away that it was dislocated. She used her free hand to push herself up and turned once more to the Alpha. He didn't rush her this time… he just watched.

Faith cradled her arm but stood tall. "Is that all you got?" she screamed indignantly.

The Alpha growled loudly and she could feel the wood beneath her vibrating as the noise ripped through the room. He dashed forwards again but she planted her back foot and round house kicked him to the side of his head, causing him to crash to the floor. She opened her mouth to speak to him but he was on her again before the words left her lips. She felt him grab her around the waist and begin to squeeze tightly. She was doing everything she could to avoid his bite but she could feel the pressure on her lungs as he continued to tighten his grip. She cried out and as the air left her lungs she heard two loud cracks as her ribs gave way. He heard this too and dropped her to the floor. He began to walk away from her, towards the exit of the gym but she managed to pull herself in to a sitting position.

She was struggling to breathe but that didn't mean he had squeezed the sarcasm out of her… not yet anyway. "Hey, this house is made of bricks… huff and puff all you like but I ain't falling down!"

He turned back quickly and she saw surprise, it was written on his face, wolf or not. She realised that he thought he had killed her already and could not contemplate how she was still alive… let along making jokes.

He growled again and stepped towards her but stopped suddenly. He turned towards the doors and raised his head, sniffing the air. Everything was silent and she could feel her blood pooling inside her clothes and she could feel her eyes getting heavy. She tried to push herself up but put too much weight on to her bad arm and crashed back to the floor. She felt the Alpha looking overhead and closed her eyes. She felt a sharp tug as he pulled her up by the collar but before she could react he shook her violently; her body flailing wildly as he whipped his head back and forth. He let go with enough pressure that she was flung quite a distance away from him… she landed with a thud as her body flopped to the floor lifelessly. As she closed her eyes she could have sworn she saw Scott. She passed out.

* * *

Derek could smell blood; it was sweet and acrid all at once. He followed his nose and found his way to the basketball court. The smell of blood was so strong here that he felt suffocated by it… it was tinged with the smell of death but not overpowered by it.

It was then that he saw her, a bloodied pile just out of sight. He ran over to her and flipped her over.

He gasped at the image before him; she was swollen and bruised, her blood stained clothes stuck to her flesh. She was breathing but it was shallow and weak. He tenderly lifted her up so as not to do any more damage; taking her full weight he sprinted from the school.

He took her to the Camaro and flung open the back door. He gingerly laid her down across the back seat and closed the door, jumping in to the driver's seat. He glanced back at her and for a moment he felt pain… her pain. She gasped for air and the feeling was gone. He shook himself and turned the key in the ignition, setting off at speed towards her home, knowing that any 'legal' healthcare professional would have some _interesting_ questions if he brought her in like this.

As he sped in to the driveway he could see that the Sheriff's car was gone. He listened intently but couldn't hear any movement inside.

He opened the back door and looked down at her. "Right, I'm gonna lift you," he said as he pulled her forwards. She didn't respond, which worried him, as he lifted her up and carried her to the door. He leant towards the lock and his nails began to extend, sliding one of his claws in to the lock and moved it back and forth; with a click, the door opened.

He ran to the kitchen table and laid her down, brushing everything else off in one sweep. He lightly tapped her cheek and she opened her eyes slightly. She grumbled something but he couldn't hear what she had said.

He took hold of her arm and pulled it back in to the right shape, applying pressure at the shoulder. "This might hurt," he said. She responded with a small nod of her head. He took a deep breath and pushed down hard, feeling the socket realign itself and snap back in to place. Faith hissed in pain but didn't make another sound… he was impressed.

For the first time since he had found her, she opened her eyes wide enough to actually focus on him, "It's amazing what your body can get used to," she said, answering his unasked question.

Derek smiled, more out of relief than anything else. "Depends on what you do for your body to get used to it!"

"Very true… however that's a story for another night," she tried to smile but winced instead as her split lip pulled open.

"The Alpha didn't kill you," Derek pointed out as he crossed his arms and leant his body against the kitchen counter.

Faith shook her head. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't sound unhappy about that."

"I don't mean that… he could've killed you but he didn't," Derek concluded. Faith could practically hear his unasked question – _why_ didn't he kill you?

"He made a good effort… but yeah, he had ample opportunity to kill me but didn't take it," she offered. Faith didn't really want to think about why she was still alive, more bask in the relief that she was.

Derek opened his mouth to speak but knew that all he really wanted to know was who she really was… _what _she really was.

Faith pulled herself up and hopped off the table, an impressive feat for someone who was at death's door five minutes ago. "I need to get this ick off of me!" she said, "and to see how much damage there is."

He nodded and began to head for the door.

"Hale," Faith shouted over her shoulder as she headed out of the kitchen.

Derek paused for a moment before glancing back at her retreating figure.

"Thanks," she said.

Derek nodded again and left without another word as Faith made the painful journey upstairs towards the shower.

* * *

Stiles burst through the front door, screaming Faith's name as he darted from room to room. He skidded to a halt at the foot of the staircase as he saw Faith making her way down towards him. He let out an audible breath of relief at seeing his cousin alive and who looked to be fresh out of the shower; dressed in a white tank and grey cotton shorts.

Without pause, Stiles grabbed Faith and pulled her into hug when she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

She hissed in pain and he went to jump back, but Faith pulled him back towards her and hugged him tightly; she could feel that he was shaking slightly and hated knowing the she had worried him so much.

"Are you ok?" he stammered as he pulled back slightly and took in Faith's bruised and cut face. He paled slightly at the black bruise darkening on her jaw.

"Five by five," she said to him with a weak smile. During her time in the shower, Faith had come to realise how stupid her actions had been and that going one on one with an Alpha hadn't been one of her better ideas. She hurt all over and she could see by Stiles' reaction to seeing her that she looked bad.

Stiles stepped away from her, suddenly looking stern. He pointed at her, closing the distance again, "Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me? I don't care if you are a Slayer! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you being pulled away … and there are still a lot of things I want to do before I die!" he took a breath and continued calmly, "I've came to the realisation that I will not live long enough to complete my entire bucket list but I swear on the Green Lantern's honour that I will not die a virgin… so, can you at least try and stay alive until someone takes me upstairs and treats me like an enemy… or you know, until Lydia comes to her senses! Is that too much to ask?"

Faith stared at him, clearly shocked. She was truly speechless at his little outburst.

Stiles didn't wait for a response, instead getting distracted, "How the hell did you get home?" he asked her before looking around the house in confusion, "and where the hell is Derek?"


	8. H is for Heal

**A/N:** Well, it's time for Stiles to have his say about things and this one of my favourite chapters that I've ever written - my other is the next chapter. Thanks again to those of you reviewing and reading. It really warms my heart that you are enjoying the story, especially my pairing of Faith/Derek. Writing isn't something I'm confident with or fast at and I'm just glad you are sticking with me through this.  
Also, a huge thanks to Noturbaby for the beta - love you hon!  
Now, I'm going to have to thank Girls Aloud and their song, 'Something New', as it's the only thing that got me through the night while I wrote this chapter and it was on constant repeat for hours. I don't even want to look at my itunes to see how many times it was played but it kept me awake better than coffee and if I came up with a dance routine to go with it then that's my business and my pets. I now can't stand the song to the point that I now grit my teeth when I hear it. I've walked out a few shops because the song was playing.

**Chapter 8 - H is for Heal**

Stiles was on the edge of having of a monumentally bad panic attack, as in full meltdown, 'danger Will Robinson'. He had been on the verge ever since he had seen Faith being dragged into the shadows by the Alpha; her blood leaving a wet red trail behind her. He was used to having panic attacks but he hadn't felt anything this bad since his mom passed, and that had been years ago. He really thought he had had a handle on them after all this time. He thought wrong. His chest had been tight the whole time they were at the school; his breathing quick and sharp and had hurt like hell but he had made sure no one else caught on to what was happening. All of his thoughts focussed on one goal – get home.

Stiles didn't really care how Faith had gotten home; just that she _was_ home. When he had burst through the front door and there had been no sign that anyone had even been there, his panic had increased tenfold. He was all for dropping to his knees and letting his panic attack overtake him but the sight of her walking down the stairs had made him want to drop to his knees in relief instead.

He hadn't really taken in her full appearance or her injuries until she had hissed in pain when he hugged her. He had wanted to pull away and not her hurt her more but he couldn't as he felt her hug him back just as hard. It wasn't until he pulled back that he got a good look at the damage and what he saw made him wonder how the hell Faith was still standing, let alone just taken a shower. He didn't want to even think about how she looked before that. When the cut on her lip started to bleed he all but dragged her through to the kitchen; his panic forgotten in his drive to help.

"We need to get some of these injuries seen to," he ordered while trying hard not to pull her with him.

Stiles came to a stop as he took in the state of the kitchen, which in his haste to find Faith he hadn't really paid proper attention to what had been laid on the floor. His eyes came to rest on Faith's leather jacket, lying on the kitchen floor and caked in dry blood; stiffening where the blood was thickest. Her shirt was lying next to it and was shredded into ribbons of torn fabric; wet blood was still glistening on the areas that were visible.

He looked back at her in disbelief. The simple fact of the matter is that she should have been dead. Scott had already told him the state he had found her in on the basketball court and Stiles had been picturing various 'worst case scenarios' all the way home. Although he knew all of this and understood what she was; his mind would not allow him to process the fact that she was not only alive but up and walking… for the first time since she told him, he was truly glad that his cousin was a supernatural badass.

He watched as she sat down at the kitchen table then quickly dashed to the cupboard and pulled a roll of black bags free. As he pulled one free, the roll dropped to the floor and ran across the kitchen in a long black trail. He bent down and hurriedly pulled the roll back in to a coiled mess and pushed it back in to the cupboard. He bent back down and pushed the blood sodden clothes in to the open bag.

"I don't know how I'm gonna explain these if someone finds them," he muttered.

"Just tell them I had a particularly bad nose bleed," she joked. As a small laugh left her lips it was immediately followed with a sharp intake of breath as pain wracked her chest and lungs… laughing was not pleasant at this moment in time.

Stiles sat down next to her at the table and she could see that he was concerned for her.

"Don't worry about me cuz, I've dealt with far worse than Cujo back there," she reassured him. "What happened with you guys?"

Stiles told her about how they got out and how they figured out the Alpha's plan to have Scott kill his 'old pack'. He casually revealed that he punched Jackson during an argument and about how good it felt but didn't linger on the point, even with Faith looking at him as though she wanted him to elaborate further. He made mention of Lydia's master stroke of concocting a self-igniting Molotov cocktail from scratch; Faith couldn't help but notice the pride in his voice.

After Faith asked how they explained to everyone what happened. Stiles went on to explain to her that Scott had blamed everything on Derek, thinking that he was dead, and subsequently an easy scapegoat.

He watched as anger spread across Faith's face but didn't have to say anything as it was gone just as quickly… he got the impression that she could understand his decision; even if she didn't entirely agree with it. He finished up his summary of the evening's events with Scott and Allison's break up.

Stiles looked at her, "Do you remember leaving the school?"

Faith shook her head, "No, not really."

"Do you remember what happened at the school?" Stiles pushed.

"I remember everything up until I got dropped on my ass by the Alpha," Faith sighed as she rubbed her temple. "It's kind of a blur after that."

"Scott said you were in the gym but we couldn't find you or anyone else afterwards. There wasn't even any blood…," Stiles trailed off.

Faith nodded at him in understanding. "Derek brought me home and helped pop my arm back into its socket," she paused, "He left as I went to take a shower. Your guess is as good as mine as to where he is now."

Stiles nodded but refrained from asking anymore questions.

* * *

Stiles walked over to Faith, first aid kit in hand and placed it on the table. He pulled her head back gently and carefully brushed her hair away from her face. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked as he inspected the cuts and bruises. He prodded the black bruise that covered the entire right hand side of her jaw. Stiles had thought for sure that it would be broken as he had definitely heard a crack back at the school.

"Jesus," she said as she reeled away from his aggressive nursing, "Lighten up Doctor Mengele!"

Stiles grinned meekly, "Sorry, I just want to check that you're…." His words faded away as he pushed her hair to the side. He could see fresh claw marks on her neck. He put his finger in to one of them causing Faith to hiss in pain. "These are claw marks, from the Alpha," Stiles said worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, they're not deep enough to cause any long lasting effects, but they will take a long time to heal," she said.

"So you're not going to….?" Stiles asked, purposefully leaving the question open.

"Become furry and start howling at the moon? No, I'm fine. I already turn demonic once a month," She smiled. "Besides, he's gonna have to bite me for me to turn."

He smiled back and cleaned the wounds. As he moved her hair back he saw a larger scar and then something that made his heart jump.

Faith knew something was wrong and the fact he was holding his breath made it all the more evident. "What is it?" she quizzed.

He looked at her neck for a second longer, staring at the two puncture wounds. He touched one, "What did this? Did he bite you?"

Faith visibly relaxed. "Oh those, nah that was from a vampire back home," she replied nonchalantly.

Stiles moved round to look at her, his eyes wide. "You were bitten by a vampire!? Doesn't that make you one too?"

Faith could tell that his fear was real, even if his concern was misguided. "No Stiles, I'm not a vampire … A single bite won't turn you. There's a whole thing where they suck your blood and you suck their blood. It's a whole sucking thing. Hurts like a bitch and I wouldn't recommend it."

Stiles stayed quite for a moment in unblinking comprehension, "That just sounds so… unhygienic." His faced screwed up in disgust.

Faith laughed loudly, causing her to reel in pain. She kept laughing anyway. "Of all the things you could have said, I didn't expect that. Never change, kiddo."

Stiles continued to help her clean the wounds she couldn't get to, coming across many other scars. He looked at her with concern, "Why do I get the feeling this isn't even close to the worst you have been?"

"It's not."

"Dare I ask?" He pointed to a scar on her abdomen.

Faith looked at it, letting her fingertips graze the raised skin lightly, but didn't answer right away. She looked back at him, "I was in a coma for a while."

Stiles leered at her, "A while being?"

"Eight months," she confirmed with her eyes downcast. She looked up to see the shock on Stiles' face. "It's not a big deal so don't make it one. It was a long time ago and I really don't want to talk about it," she warned acting as if this would be the end of the discussion… it was as if she didn't know him at all.

Stiles stood open mouthed and Faith could actually see the questions rushing through his mind. He closed his mouth and focused back on her once more. "Fine, another time then. And no, that's not a question."

Faith nodded in agreement.

* * *

Stiles had left Faith alone whilst he dashed around cleaning away any evidence of the recent events. She sat at the table, basked in the calm and bemoaned Stiles overuse of Spongebob Squarepants band aids. She had protested at the over-zealous way he had attached them to every scratch she had and made a point of arguing that it was a waste as she would heal quickly. She had given in after seeing that the more of the pink band aids he applied the calmer he got. However, she had started to remove them one by one when he wasn't looking and now had more than half a dozen hidden in the pocket of her shorts.

He dashed past her with a garbage bag and pulled the soiled cotton swabs and wipes from the table in to the bag. Stiles glimpsed at her, "I'm still pissed at you for what you did at the school."

He had caught Faith off guard but she composed herself quickly, "Stiles, you have to realise that this is my _job, _my life_._ Just like your dad protecting this town as the Sheriff is his job, his life. The only difference is I didn't get a choice to begin with."

"You said there was an army now. Why can't they do the job instead?" Stiles argued.

Faith smiled, "They _are_ doing their job. There are worse things out there than this Alpha and they are dealing with those. I can deal with this, and I will… we all will."

Stiles looked down as he asked, "Would you still do this if you had been given a choice?"

Faith contemplated the question slowly before answering honestly, "Yes." She paused before explaining further, "I'd already been given glimpses of what was truly out there before I even became a Slayer… and I've seen much worse in the following years. I just couldn't stand by and do nothing. Once your eyes are opened to this world, it's hard to go back to being blind to it."

Stiles shrugged. "I suppose," he conceded.

Faith lightly punched him in the arm, "Same question kiddo. Given the choice, would you go back to how it was… knowing what you know now?"

Stiles paused but shook his head, "No."

"Why?" she asked.

"Same reason I guess. I couldn't just ignore it." Stiles admitted.

Faith gave her cousin a big smile, ignoring the pull from the cut on her lip. "And that kiddo is why I am proud you're family. Give someone all the powers in the world at their disposal but if you don't have the heart then it's all for nothing. You may not be a werewolf or a Slayer, but that doesn't mean you're weak. In fact it makes you better because you know you're not invincible, yet you'll still do everything you can to help."

Stiles blushed in light of Faith's humble honesty.

Faith nudged him again, "You're important so don't ever think you're not and never doubt your own bravery. One day kiddo, you're gonna do great things … just remember to stay alive long enough to do them."

Stiles smiled and nudged her back, "You too."

"Deal."

* * *

Stiles helped Faith back upstairs and into her bedroom. He disappeared into his own room for a moment before coming back with an open front shirt. He helped her pull it on over her vest so that it didn't have to go over her head. She still gasped as she tried to lift her arms.

"It's the biggest one I have," he said as he helped her button it up. "Why don't you want to take something for the pain?" He pushed.

Faith shook her head. "It won't do any good; my body would just burn it up… I heal different from you humans."

"Not as fast as werewolves though," Stiles quipped.

"Wow, kick me when I've only just left death's door why don't you…." Seeing the worried look from Stiles she stopped, "Too soon?"

Stiles shook his head and gave her a weak smile. He helped her on to the bed and pulled the sheet up and over her, making sure she was comfortable. "Dad will be home soon. Do you want me to run interference until he goes back to work?" he offered.

Faith nodded and snuggled under the covers, "Yeah. I think a couple of days should clear this up, except the ribs but it's nothing I can't handle. The claw marks will be hidden by my hair. "

Stiles left Faith's bedside and headed towards the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned, "Just rest up, ok?"

Faith didn't answer but he wasn't looking for one. As he left he closed the door over quietly he heard her whisper, "Thanks kiddo."

Stiles walked around the house to double check everything was in order and there was nothing lying around that could give away anything of what transpired that night. He made sure the blood sodden trash bags were hidden at the bottom of the trash can where his dad couldn't stumble upon them. Stiles knew it was his job to take the trash out but sometimes his dad took the notion to help and he really didn't want him finding something he shouldn't.

As he walked back into the house he pulled out his phone and sent Scott a message to let him know that Faith was alright and had been waiting for him when he got home. He didn't mention Derek or the state Faith was in when he found her and to be honest, he didn't really want to think about that again – ever.

He received a message from Scott in seconds with his usual smiley emoticon. Despite how tired and drained he was feeling, he decided to take a quick shower before heading to bed. Dressed in sweats and a comfy t-shirt, Stiles left the bathroom and headed to his own room but not before checking on Faith once last time. She was sound asleep.

Stiles crawled into bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. Now that everything had calmed down he took stock of what had happened. He was no longer on the edge of a panic attack and he couldn't remember when that feeling had faded away; he was thankful none the less. All he knew was that he needed to help Faith and not break. He felt confident that she could tell what he was feeling but she had made no mention of it and he loved her more for that.

He really didn't like what Faith had done at the school but he was beginning to realise that he'd much rather she was here with them fighting this rather than stuck God knows where fighting God knows what… never knowing if she was still alive or dead.

It scared him that she could have died so many times in these past ten years and neither he nor his dad would ever have even known. He hadn't forgotten her admission that she had been in a coma for eight months or the feeling of his stomach dropping when he had heard her either; they would definitely be going over that one again.

In the short space of time she had been there, he had come to love having her around and he knew his dad did too and it had nothing to do with her being a Slayer. Even before he had found out he had thought she was pretty awesome. It may seem small and insignificant to some but he had noticed that she never told him to shut up when he started to babble or go off on tangents. This was a huge deal to him, especially as he heard that phrase more times than his own name on most days. She didn't seem to get annoyed by his hyperactivity to the point that she was actually able to keep up with his chaotic ways and was just as protective of his dad as he was.

Before sleep claimed him, Stiles realised that he would need to offer Derek a thank you but knew he had to get over his fear of him first; he didn't see that happening anytime soon… maybe he would send him some kind of fruit basket instead.


	9. I is for Intoxicated

**A/N:** Who doesn't love a drunk Stiles? Anyhoo, this chapter was written before any of the others and I love it so much. Huge thank yous to all of you reading and reviewing and to all you lurkers out there too. I think you're all awesome. Your reviews are cherished.  
I'd like to point out now that I hate One Direction. Loathe. They are up there with Bieber and, just no!

Huggles and love to Noturbaby for the beta and just generally being amazing when I randomly send her chapters.

**Chapter 9 - I is for Intoxicated  
**

To Stiles' surprise, it had only taken a couple of days for Faith to fully recover from her injuries. She had been right about her hair concealing the unhealed claw marks, and her ribs were still tender. He had watched her intently as the bruises, scratches and welts that adorned Faith's face and body slowly disappeared over a matter of hours. The nasty black bruise on her jaw was the one that had captivated his attention the most. The bruise had begun as a nasty black and crimson blotch which faded to dark purple over the first few hours; turning a sickly yellow before conceding and fading completely.

Whilst Stiles had been happy to run interference between Faith and his dad, the requirement to do so had been unnecessary. With the manhunt for Derek fully underway, his dad was constantly at the station; only coming home to catch a couple of hours of sleep or calling to make sure Stiles and Faith were okay.

Stiles knew without question that his dad was worried about what happened at the school. In fact, the only thing that seemed to calm him down was that Stiles had Faith for company and protection; mostly from himself.

Now that the Alpha had made it clear his intention all along was to coax Scott in to killing his 'old pack', they had found a new kind of fear and uneasiness. This had been partially quelled when Faith made it clear that she wasn't going to let anything happen to _any_ of them.

Scott wasn't used to having anyone but his mom and Stiles looking out for him so he was reluctant to surrender himself to the 'big sister' act at first. Faith didn't let him have any further concerns however; arguing that he was family too and would be treated as such…werewolf or not.

The days following the incident at the school had been quiet for Faith. She had either stayed in her room sleeping off her injuries or had gone out running; trying to get a hold on the feelings that had arisen during the whole ordeal. Her mind also flitted back and forth about how Stiles had helped patch her up even though he was clearly wracked with terror; he really was incredibly brave.

However, the thing that dominated her thoughts was the fact that she had been afraid at the school; something that she had not felt in a very long time… in fact it was barely even a memory anymore. Her fear had been fuelled by the fact that she might not have been able to protect Stiles and Scott from the Alpha; that they would end up getting hurt and that it would have been _her_ fault.

She had also been angry.

The anger had been more of a surprise than anything else and had only manifested itself when she saw the Alpha skewer Derek. It had happened quickly and immediately overridden by the urgency of getting Stiles and Scott to safety… and as far away from the Alpha as possible.

Faith was well versed in anger and it had even saved her ass on a number of occasions. The thing that concerned her was the trigger this time; seeing Derek killed in front of her - at least what she had thought was his death at the time. Seeing Derek's bleeding corpse lying lifelessly on the grass had left her seething and baying for blood.

She had been ignoring the niggling feelings in regards to Derek Hale but they were now crawling through her chest like ants. One realisation suddenly filled every inch of her mind… she might actually have feelings for this stupid wolf. This was not a realisation that pleased her… '_What is my life?!_' had started to become her mantra.

Faith knew she didn't need that kind of complication right now, especially since it put both her and her family in danger.

She quickly dismissed the thought of confronting Derek and divulging that she actually cared for him. It would have released a shit tonne of fallout; especially since it was evident the wolf felt nothing other than anger and rage.

A phone call to Dawn had confirmed what she already knew; after the events that had transpired over the past couple of days… it wasn't healthy to dwell on those types of feelings and it was best all round for her to just to go back to ignoring them.

Dawn had suggested one alternative; Faith could have sex with Derek and just get it out of her system. Before Faith could even respond Dawn had hung up; her laughter ringing in Faith's ear.

What made it even funnier was that Faith had actually considered it; more times than was probably necessary but nobody needed to know that.

* * *

Faith had been dozing on the couch when she heard the sound of Stiles' jeep pull into the driveway. He'd only got it back that morning since it had been at the shop being fixed; unsurprisingly it had been easier to get a new battery than to remove claw marks from the hood.

Stiles had gotten the rest of the week off school, along with Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson due to their 'emotional distress' following the events at the school.

Stiles had decided to use this time researching … and trying to cheer up Scott following his break up with Allison. Tonight was a 'cheer up Scott' night, which Faith hoped would do some good as a broken hearted Scott was just too pathetic to watch anymore.

Earlier Faith had thought of going out patrolling just to see if anything had decided to accidentally wander into town but her Uncle Stan had come home as she was getting ready; she decided to have dinner with him instead and enjoy some honest to God down time. She hadn't seen him in a couple of days and could see how tired he was with everything so decided to go and pick them up some dinner. She opted for meat pizza with extra bacon which had made him light up like a kid at Christmas. They silently agreed to keep this to themselves; Stiles needn't have to know.

"Baby you light up my life like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed…"

The off key singing caused Faith to leap from the couch and head to the front door. She opened it to be greeted to an unexpected sight; Scott was standing looking sober but was holding up the drunken and singing body of Stiles.

"What the hell Scott?" Faith shouted. She shot forward as Stiles slid out of Scott's grip and grabbed him before he face planted the front porch. Stiles squinted up at her for a moment before realisation hit him and his eyes widened.

"Faith!" He slurred, "You've come to join Scott and I's pity party?"

Faith looked to Scott scornfully.

"He wanted to cheer me up and drank through almost a whole bottle of Jack Daniels," he explained ashamedly.

"You let him do **what**?" Faith yelled as Scott took a tentative step back.

"Scott can't get drunk so I got drunk-ted for the both of us… because that's what friends do." Stiles said as he poked Faith in the cheek. She recoiled back as the stench of alcohol hit her.

"I can't believe you let him get this bad," Faith scolded as she propped Stiles up against the wall; one hand holding him firmly against the so he didn't fall or slide down.

"Hey, you should be thanking me for getting him home at all. He sang that damn song all the way home… three times, word for word!"

Stiles smiled but didn't open his eyes, "It's about me and Lydia and our love… or my love for her and how awesome I think she is. You don't get it… no-one does. The sidekick never gets the girl," Stiles mumbled as his head fell back against the wall. "Why can't she love me?" he whined. "If only you saw what I can see. You'll understand why I want you so desperately…" Stiles sang morosely.

And Faith had thought Scott was pathetic when he was broken-hearted.

Scott stepped away from the porch, "And this is where I leave you. Bye!" Scott called out as he disappeared down the street.

"Coward!" Faith shouted at him then closed the door and locked it. She looked to Stiles, who was now staring at her with wide blinking eyes.

"Come here," he whispered as he beckoned her towards him, "I have to tell you something."

Faith sighed as she bent forward, "What?"

"You are my most favouritest, bestest, most awesomest cousin in the whole wide world!" He murmured as he rested his head against her shoulder.

Faith grinned. "I'm your only cousin Stiles," she whispered into his ear.

Stiles lifted his head and shushed her, pressing his finger to her lips, "Shh! I don't want the others to know." He looked around cautiously, "They might be listening in."

"Okay kiddo, time for bed. Come on," she said as she lifted him towards her.

Stiles let out a long, deep sigh, "Ok, you go to bed and I'll guard the house… look out wolfy!" He fell back in to her arms once more; his fists were still raised as if he was fighting an invisible enemy.

"Big bads beware!" Faith mocked him as she righted Stiles back to standing. "How about you leave the guarding to me and you get some sleep?"

Stiles merely nodded and shuffled towards the stairs with Faith watching him closely from the front door. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up forlornly for a second before settling himself down on the first step, propping himself against the wall before letting out a comfortable sigh.

"You can't sleep down here Stiles," Faith said as she towered over him. Stiles made a noise of protest as Faith pulled him up and lifted him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "And your dad will be pissed if he sees you like this."

"He won't be able to see me!" Stiles shouted out, "I'll just close my eyes and I'll be invisible. Ninja Stiles!"

Faith didn't even want to know.

Stiles opened his eyes wide as he and Faith ascended the stairs. "Annnnnnnd that's your butt," he giggled. "Why am I looking at your butt? Where are we going? Do you know who has a nice butt? It's not that _you_ don't have a nice butt but," Stiles let out a small laugh, "You're family and that's a level of weird I never want to reach… so, do you want to know who has a nice butt?"

"I have an idea you are going to tell me whether I care or not."

"Lydia," Stiles said proudly.

"Colour me surprised," Faith sighed with a roll of her eyes. She dumped Stiles body mercilessly onto his bed. "Stay," she ordered as she began to remove his shoes and socks; she threw them into the clothes pile in the corner. It was undecided whether it was a clean pile or not; considering the smell, Faith chose the latter.

Stiles rolled over onto his back, propping himself up on to his elbows as Faith removed his jacket and shirt; leaving him in his jeans and white undershirt. He watched as Faith disappeared and returned moments later with a bucket and a glass of water. She knelt beside the bed and placed the bucket down. "This is just in case you want to puke." Stiles nodded at her in understanding. "And take these in the morning, ok?" She placed two Advil and the glass of water on his bedside table.

Faith stood as Stiles lay back against the pillows. She tucked him into the bed as he stared at her sleepily. "Sleep, Stiles."

He yawned as she made her way for the door, turning off the light on the way. "Faith?" he asked.

Faith paused and turned to see Stiles staring at the ceiling with his covers pulled up to his chin. "Yeah kiddo?"

"I really… Dad and I really like you being here, despite all the werewolf crap. We're just glad you decided to come."

Faith took in a sharp breath at Stiles words. She swallowed hard and whispered, "Me too." She made her way to leave and went to close the door behind her.

"Faith?" Stiles asked again.

"Hmm?"

"We'd really like you to stay. You'll be safer here and I don't want you to leave," He admitted quietly, "Will you stay… please?"

"I don't know," Faith answered honestly. "We'll talk in the morning. Now, sleep."

"Ok." Stiles nestled under the sheets and let out a contented sigh. Faith waited to hear Stiles deep even breaths to signal him sleeping before she let herself out the room.

"He likes you, you know and Sourwolf doesn't like anyone," Stiles whispered softly. "He could have left you but he didn't… I need to remember to thank him for that… or you can do that for me as he still scares me with the growling and frowning, especially the growling… Do you think he practices frowning in the mirror every morning?" Stiles paused before sighing audibly, "Faith, do you think gay guys find me attractive?"

Faith froze in the hall at Stiles words. He wanted to thank Derek?! Stiles barely left with his throat when he met up with Derek and thanking him would decrease that chance even more, especially as she didn't think Derek would appreciate being reminded he did something nice. She figured it would put a dent in his broody wolf routine… wait, Derek liked her? Before Faith could contemplate this new discovery Stiles had went off on another tangent, finishing with his karaoke skills again. Of all the songs Faith needed to have in her head One Direction was not one of them. A few of the minis had played the song constantly until the day she had made them run drills until they puked and surprisingly she never heard the song again – cue Stiles. She didn't think he'd last as long as the minis did if she put him through drills.

"Go to sleep!" She warned him through the door.

A moment of silence filled the house before Faith heard her name being called again. She stomped into Stiles' room. "What?"

"What would you have been doing if I hadn't called you just now?" Stiles asked innocently.

Faith growled, shook her head and exited the room. She made her way downstairs and closed up the house before making her way to her room. She stopped to check Stiles was asleep and found him sprawled out over his bed, out cold and snoring; arms and legs spread-eagled, his head hanging over the bed in the direction of the bucket, his mouth open with a pool of drool collecting under his chin. Faith made to fix the sheets that had half fallen off but decided against it as she didn't want him waking up and begin talking again, or worse, singing.

She hummed to herself as she got ready for bed but stopped suddenly as the realisation struck to what she was humming…

"Shit."

Her cousin was in for some serious payback in the morning and running drills until he puked just wouldn't cut it.

* * *

"GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!" Faith said with far too much enthusiasm for someone at 7am in the morning. She emphasised this more by pulling off the sheets covering Stiles and laid a hard smack to his jean clad ass.

The sound that escaped from Stiles, which when recounted later would not have occurred, was less manly and more of a high pitched girly squeal of fright; thus followed by him rolling over and falling off the other side of the bed, landing with a thud on the floor.

Faith laughed loudly as she fell on bed, peering over the edge at Stiles haphazard form hidden under a pile of sheets. She may not be able to see him but she could hear the groans of pain from a severe hangover. Faith smiled wider and pulled at the sheet. Stiles looked exactly how she expected him to; pale skin and bleary eyed and on the verge of puking at any moment.

"And how are we feeling on this fine morning?" She asked.

Stiles opened one eye warily. "You're evil and I hate you," he rasped. He opened both eyes slowly, blinking rapidly at the blinding light coming in through the window above him before covering them with his forearm. "Urgh… just leave me here to die."

"Shame and you were really beginning to grow on me too," Faith teased.

"What did you hit me with? My ass cheek is numb!"

Faith raised her hand up, palm side forwards.

"Was that really necessary?" Stiles moaned.

Faith shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. I held back… a little."

"What if I had been naked?" Stiles looked up to see Faith's frowning. "What? I could have been!" he argued.

"Doubtful. I stripped you after carrying you upstairs and I have no desire to see your scrawny ass." Faith pushed herself off the bed as Stiles weakly pulled himself back up onto it; his face smashed into the mattress. "Besides, you don't look the type to sleep naked," she pointed out.

"There's a _type_?" he asked, his voice muffled by the mattress. "Wait, _you_ carried me upstairs?"

"Yep," Faith chirped, "And you are **not** that type!" she laughed.

Stiles lifted his head lightly, "Can you teach me these skills, for a purely academic point of view, so that I can see who sleeps naked?"

"Perv!" she joked and left the room. She slammed the door and laughed as she heard Stiles groan loudly from inside the room; reacting to the loud bang.

"Was _that _really necessary?!"

Half an hour later, Stiles shuffled his way into the kitchen looking like death warmed up; his t shirt hanging limply off him but he had changed from his jeans to a pair of sweats. He fell into the nearest chair and laid his head on the table, moaning weakly.

Faith watched Stiles from her spot on the kitchen countertop with a subtle grin. "So, I was thinking that I could cook you breakfast this morning," she offered as she hopped down onto the kitchen floor and walked towards Stiles. "How about a greasy, pork sandwich served on a dirty ashtray, hmm?"

Stiles groaned and swallowed down bile. He waited a moment as he attempted to rid himself of the image Faith's words had conjured in his mind before replying, "As much as I would love to commend you on the use of your 80s movies pop culture, I politely decline."

"Pity," Faith said as she turned away from Stiles and moved towards the toaster; she grabbed the toast as it popped out. "I think this will do more good. It'll help soak up the rest of the alcohol in your system and your stomach should be able to keep it down. Here," She suggested as she placed the plate of dry toast in front of Stiles and a cup of strong black coffee.

Stiles raised his head slowly and pulled the plate and cup towards him, "Thanks." He ate with small careful bites of toast and small sips of coffee as he watched Faith potter around the kitchen; cleaning and making herself some breakfast. He stopped chewing when he heard Faith begin to hum to herself while she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard above her head. It wasn't the humming that had him pausing, but the song.

"What song is that?" He asked.

Faith turned to Stiles in confusion. "Huh?"

"The humming… what song is that?"

"Oh, I have no idea. I heard it yesterday and it has been in my head ever since," Faith replied as she turned back to making her bowl of cereal. "All I know is some tween pop band sings it. You know it?"

"Nope… no, never heard it before in my life," Stiles answered quickly as he suddenly became overly interested in the contents of his coffee cup.

With her back to Stiles, Faith grinned wide before fixing on her poker face and turning to grab the milk from the refrigerator. "How's the toast?" she asked.

"Staying down."

"I wouldn't be chowing down on any curly fries today but you should be fine," Faith advised as she hopped back up onto the countertop. She took a few bites of her cereal and watched Stiles intently as she decided to put her plan into action. The humming had been the beginning, now it was time to hit him with everything. "It must have been a good night."

Stiles shrugged, "I can't remember much to be honest. It's a blur after realising Scott couldn't get drunk."

Faith watched as Stiles took a bite of toast. "Yeah, good thing I suppose. I mean, if I had done what you had done last night then I wouldn't want to remember it either," she said as she fixed her gaze on the scenery outside. She could see Stiles reflection in the window; his attention fixed on her. "I mean, going to Derek's house…"

"What?" Stiles swallowed hard.

"… and then swiping his leather jacket…" Faith pointed to where a black leather jacket was lying over the back of the couch. Stiles eyes followed curiously before widening in alarm.

"I DID WHAT?!" Stiles squeaked as he choked on his toast and coffee, coughing as crumbs spewed everywhere; his gaze flitting from the leather jacket then to Faith in abject horror.

"…and then wearing it home. Yeah, maybe it is best you don't remember," Faith finished as she finally looked at Stiles with as much innocence she could muster, even though it was taking everything she had to not burst into laughter. Stiles looked like he wanted to run, puke and die all at once.

"I WORE IT HOME!" Stiles shouted as he stared at Faith in horror. "Oh my God! I am dead and Derek is going to kill me."

"That wasn't all kiddo," Faith added.

"There's more?" Stiles asked incredulously as his head fell into his hands. "What the hell could be worse than stealing Derek's jacket and wearing it?"

"You may have shouted at him, "I'm the Alpha bitch!" before running off."

Faith didn't think Stiles could get any more paler but she was wrong as she watched him slowly fall in on himself; his head shaking from side to side in disbelief. "I left the jacket on the couch and I don't know whether to tell you this but I heard keys jingling in one of the pockets."

"I TOOK THE KEYS TO THE CAMARO TOO!" Stiles jumped up, letting the chair fall back and hit the floor.

"It's fine Stiles. We'll just explain that you have no idea what you were doing…," Faith pretended to placate an extremely freaked out Stiles.

Stiles shook his head. "No, no, no… he'll kill me, dead. He'll tear my throat out for sure this time as this is way worse than me just being my usual annoying self." He stared hard at Faith. "Derek's leather jacket is like Batman's suit and his Camaro? Totally the Batmobile… I'm so dead."

"I could take them back without him knowing you took them?" Faith suggested.

"He'll know it's me with his wolfy senses. It won't even matter that he actually likes you, he'll still kill me."

"I think you are being overdramatic."

"No, Lydia snapping the heel on her favourite shoes and taking a day off school because of it is over dramatic. This… this is… this is end of the world!" Stiles squeaked.

"It's not even close. Believe me." Faith hopped down from the countertop and grabbed Stiles. "It's fine. We all do stupid things when we are drunk."

"I cause my early death. What did you do?"

Faith contemplated her answer, "Let's just say that Buffy and I will never be heading to Vegas anytime soon or ever. We did get kicked out of Dublin once by some leprechauns but I think they were a bit pissed that we out drank them and then demanded they show us where they stash all the marshmallows. Funny thing is we woke the next day to bags of marshmallows around us. Still have no idea how they got there."

Stiles gazed at Faith in wonder before realisation took hold and he succumbed to his terror. He jumped when he heard knocking on the front door and instinctively hid behind Faith.

"That's Derek coming to kill me," he wailed.

Faith shook her head. "Doubtful. We haven't seen him since that night at the school and I don't think he'd come out of hiding just to kill you, but," she paused slightly as she looked over her shoulder at Stiles then back to the door, "Just in case, stay here."

Faith let go of Stiles and headed to the front door as Scott made his way in.

"Hey! So, is Stiles…," Scott began but was cut off as Stiles came out of the kitchen.

"Of all the stupid shit we have ever done… will _ever_ do… I can't believe you would let me do something like that! I mean, we are bros and bros don't let other bros do stupid shit that will get them mauled by a mean and severely angry werewolf! Why the fuck would you let me do that… why Scott, why?" Stiles shouted as he herded Scott into the living room.

Faith stopped at the doorway and watched in glee at the shocked look on Scott's face and the fury on Stiles. She could tell that Scott didn't have a clue what Stiles was talking about by his confused expression.

"What?" Scott spluttered. "I didn't mean to leave you but you were singing…," he attempted to explain.

"Wait!" Stiles interrupted, raising his hand. "I was singing too! Please tell me I wasn't singing at Derek? If I serenaded _Derek Hale_ then I'll kill myself and save him the trouble."

"What has Derek got to do with this? Has he been here?" Scott asked as he looked from Stiles to Faith for answers.

"No, but when he does it will be to kill me because you stood by and let me steal his leather jacket and then call him a bitch!"

"I let you do WHAT?!" Scott shouted back at Stiles. "I would never let you do any of that. All that happened last night was that you go too drunk and I had to drag your ass home while you sang One Direction! I left you with Faith when you started crying about Lydia."

Stiles stood with his arms crossed and glared at Scott. "I do not cry about Lydia. I pine. There is a difference," he explained. "But if we didn't do anything then why…," Stiles said quietly as he slowly turned around to face a grinning Faith. "YOU!"

"Me!" Faith mocked, feigning shock.

"But…but…but…you … you said," Stiles stuttered, "I…I… you…you…"

"Are the most awesomest cousin in the whole wide world?" Faith joked. "Call it payback for getting One Direction stuck in my head. It was either this or, well, the alternative would have probably made you cry."

Stiles stood in silence as he stared in shock at Faith. He couldn't believe that she had tricked him – and had used his hangover to do it. He had to give her kudos for the fact she used his fear of Derek to make it seem more believable and he could now see that the leather jacket she was referring to was actually the new one she had just bought.

"Oh, it is on!" He huffed as he stomped away from Scott and Faith, heading upstairs. "It is on like Donkey Kong!"

"Aw cuz, you don't stand a chance," Faith said as she followed him. "You don't even know my weak spots, whereas I know all of yours." She stopped at the bottom of the staircase with Scott behind her as Stiles tripped and fell on the stairs. He righted himself quickly and turned to face them.

"This does not distract from the fact that this is on!" He pointed at Faith indignantly before making his way back up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door, leaving Faith and Scott staring after him in silence.

"I think you may have broken Stiles," Scott whispered to Faith.

* * *

It took Stiles less than twenty-four hours to forgive Faith for her prank. Her punishment, as he had called it, had been the silent treatment; he just hadn't figured on Faith doing the same thing back. After she had refused to let him use her laptop and then ate all the curly fries at dinner, he caved. Later, when retelling the story to Scott he will forget to mention that Faith had sat on him while eating said curly fries and had refused to let him up until he had forgiven her. His cousin really didn't play fair and his dad had been no help when he had walked in and found them; choosing to continue walking upstairs and ignoring them, but not before snapping a few photos on his phone. Traitor.

Faith was now back out patrolling and on her own man hunt for Derek, but for completely different reasons than her Uncle and local police department. She had spent a few nights searching everywhere she could think of but there was no sign of him or any trace that he was still in Beacon Hills. Several times it occurred to her that he could have just picked up and left them to deal with the Alpha on their own but something inside her knew he was still in town. She didn't know if it was gut instinct but she knew it was the same kind of feeling she had had that night at the school with the Alpha and during their encounter in the forest – the feeling she was trying but failing to ignore.

She finally admitted defeat in her search for the werewolf and conceded that she would have to wait for him to come to her. It wasn't until Faith received a file from Dawn, that she turned her attention towards the Argents. Faith knew the basic gist of the family of hunters but curiosity had her wanting to know more and she had asked Dawn to use her skills to find out all she could. The file she had received was substantial but it hadn't told Faith enough and so she had started to do recognizance on them. She used her days finding out that they were still camped out at the Hale house and that they still couldn't find Derek. Faith hadn't told Stiles what she was up to in regards to the Argents as she knew he would tell Scott and he was too close to Allison Argent. Despite the girl being innocent, it was obvious how close she was to her Aunt.

A couple of days after Stiles and Scott went back to school, Faith camped out in Stiles' jeep, watching Kate, Chris and Allison Argent sitting in their car arguing about whether it was safe for Allison to go back to school. From her parked car Faith could see that Kate was the more dominant of the siblings even though she was younger and that Chris was genuinely worried about his daughter's safety. Faith had read from the file that Chris was the least troublesome of the Argent clan and led a pretty decent life, even if he hunted on the side, with his wife and daughter; he was respected by certain hunter groups and didn't raise any red lights within the Council.

After the Argents left, Faith made herself comfortable in Stiles' jeep. She may be following the Argents but today her sights were set on a different target, Scott. It was the night of the full moon that night and she was going to watch him like hawk. Stiles had already told her they had it covered but she was leaving nothing to chance. She had been keeping in contact with Dawn through texts and emails for help in researching how best to 'handle' Scott.

Faith's cell rang as she scrolled through the Argent file again on her laptop. Her eyebrows rose as she heard the familiar ringtone.

"You must be bored if you are calling me at this time in the morning," she greeted with a smile.

"How's the stakeout?" Dawn's cheerful voice greeted her down the phone. "And I'm not bored. I've not been to bed yet."

"Stiles ate the last of the doughnuts so I'm afraid I may be on this stakeout sugar free," Faith sighed as she sunk down further into the seat.

"Harsh."

"Yeah, well I've already ate an entire pack of Stiles' gummy worms which I think were way past their best before date." Faith looked forlornly at the empty bag of candy on the passenger seat. "I know he has some stashed somewhere but you didn't call to find out my eating horrors. You have anything for me?"

"Nothing more on the Argents at this moment in time but we are making sure what we have learned doesn't come back to us or you. However, I decided to do a little digging in regards to your little teen wolf. It's Scott, right?"

"That's him," Faith concurred. She ducked down as she saw her uncle leaving the school with a couple of suits. She figured by their demeanour that they were the State Troopers he was telling her about the night before. She sat up as they headed out of the school parking lot and in the opposite direction of where she was parked.

"Yeah, well, considering what today is I figured on researching more about werewolves and the full moon. We know the basics with Oz but I went a bit further in regards to different types of werewolves," Dawn explained, "hence the lack of sleep. You should see the stuff I read about mates and bonding. It's pretty interesting once you delve deep enough. Did you know that werewolves can mate with…?"

"And?" Faith interrupted. She sighed when the line went silent a moment. "Any other day D and I'd listen."

"Fine," Dawn accepted, albeit reluctantly. "It doesn't look good, especially as his emotions are all over the place given his age but you did say he just broke up with his girlfriend so that's not going to do him any favours."

"How bad are we talking here? I really don't want to take out Scott. He has this big puppy dog eyed thing going on which is hard to ignore." Faith rubbed her temple lightly as she felt the beginnings of a headache forming.

"I'm only going off what you told me and if he hasn't shown any angry vibes then it shouldn't be so bad. You just need to make sure he doesn't get pissed off today. Once it starts then he's not going to be Scott until tomorrow," Dawn warned.

"Great," Faith groaned. "I left him with Stiles."

"This isn't his first full moon so he shouldn't be as bad but all werewolves, including the Alpha are all under the sway of the moon tonight. Just make sure Stiles tells you if he sees or hears anything that doesn't seem right and keep a close eye. I would say you should go after the Alpha tonight but if the Argents have the same Intel that we do then…"

"They'll go after the Alpha… or Derek." Faith finished.

"Still nothing?" Dawn asked with concern.

"Wherever he is then he isn't coming out 'til he decides it is time," Faith replied.

"For what it's worth, I hope everything goes ok tonight," Dawn said. She yawned loudly down the phone. "I think I better sleep. I don't want the buttons on the keyboard imprinted on my face again and this sure beats cataloguing the library again."

Faith laughed. "Thanks for everything. I'll let you know how things go."

As Faith cut off the call she received a text message from Stiles telling her that Scott had fled class during a test and he was now looking for him. Faith let out a deep sigh.

'_And so it begins.'_

She didn't have to wait long for Stiles to call her.

"Did you find him?" She asked as she tried to mask the worry in her tone.

"Yeah, he had a panic attack and I found him in the locker room," Stiles replied as Faith let out a slow breath. "The full moon is doing this, isn't it?"

"It affects all werewolves and Scott isn't any different but he has us and we'll make sure he's fine." Faith attempted to pacify him. "His problems with Allison aren't going to help him either."

"What do I do?"

"Anything happens then you call me. I don't care how small, just call. I'll be around and I'll pick you both up after lacrosse practice."

"Should I even ask what you are doing with my jeep?" Stiles questioned.

"Don't worry, she's safe with me," Faith kidded. "I am trying to figure out where you keep your stash of candy in this tin can."

"In the Batman lunchbox under the back seat," Stiles disclosed. "Just don't eat the Reese's Pieces and we're all good."

"Thanks kiddo." Faith spun in the seat, her hand feeling under the backseat. "I'll pick you up after practice."

Stiles hung up just as Faith's hand closed around a box. She pulled it free and placed it on her knees.

"Jackpot!" Faith exclaimed aloud, opening the box.

* * *

Hours later, after a seriously awesome high score on angry birds and a few catnaps, Faith made her way onto the field to watch Stiles and Scott practice. She wasn't interested in lacrosse, or even knew much about it but both Stiles and Scott had been attempting to teach her; all she really knew was there was a ball involved and a stick. As she approached, she could see a group forming on the field, huddled together.

She made her way towards the group, but stopped at the bleachers beside the rest of the onlookers. She could now see the other players helping another player to his feet; he was sporting a bloodied nose and looked completely dazed. She watched as the group all turned to face Scott who was standing away from them.

Stiles saw Faith and gave her a worried look before approaching Scott. Faith couldn't hear them talking but she could see that Scott wasn't remorseful, in fact he looked angry. She saw Stiles sigh and turn back to the group in time to see Lydia approaching Jackson.

Faith watched as Stiles expression turned from worried to shock. She had no idea what he had just heard from Lydia and Jackson but whatever it was hadn't been good.

Scott walked off the pitch but Stiles didn't follow. Instead he headed in Faith's direction; looking defeated. Faith figured that this wasn't the right time to interrogate him and opted to let him come to her when he was ready.


	10. J is for Jealousy

**A/N:** Another huge thank you to Noturbaby. Seriously, I have no idea where I would be without her beta skills. She deserves a parade. Anyhoo, another chapter posted and thank you again to those of you favouriting/following and generally just reading this. Believe me, I never would have guessed that I would ever be posting the 10th chapter.

You'll probably guess from this chapter that I'm not a Stydia fan. In any way shape or form. I just hope S3 nips that right in the bud and while I'm on that, I kinda hate that the US gets to see S3 before us Brits. It's not fair.

Love to you all and enjoy!

**Chapter 10: J is for Jealousy**

Faith sat in the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep watching her cousin warily. She had asked him once if he was alright after what had transpired on the field and after the look of utter defeat she had received as an answer, had not broached the conversation again. He told her he'd meet her back at the jeep before leaving her standing on the field as he made his way to the locker room.

She had only just turned the corner when she was stopped by an overly confident voice. "You look lost."

Faith turned around coming face to face with a sweat soaked and grinning Abercrombie and Fitch lookalike, or as she knew him to be, the infamous Jackson Whittemore. It occurred to her that he had no idea who _she_ was. She remained silent and sized him up, all the while keeping her gaze hidden behind her aviators. His entire demeanour oozed confidence; with his supposed panty-dropping smile and bright eyes… she had to give it to the kid, it was an impressive mask.

"And _you_ are out of your depth." She turned and walked away, grinning at the memory of Jackson's stunned expression.

She made her way back to the jeep; all the while listening to the rest of the students talking about the incident and their different theories on what had happened. True to form, nobody said that it was due to it being the full moon that night, instead referring to the possibility that Scott may be taking steroids or just having a bad day. Faith lived in hope that someone would just hit the nail on the head with their first guess.

Once in the parking lot, Faith had watched as Scott made a quick exit from the school, grabbing his bike and cycling off in the direction of home. She didn't call out to him or make it known in any way that she was there but had made sure he had left without incident.

When Stiles had finally emerged from the locker room, his face portraying a look she immediately recognised as anger, she had remained silent and had gotten in the jeep.

Now she couldn't take her eyes from him as he drove in silence, anger radiating from him in waves. Faith didn't like seeing him angry as the emotion just didn't suit him. Stiles always had a smile and some sarcastic retort ready. He had a big heart and cared deeply about those closest to him; he wasn't made for hurt, anger and pain. In that moment, Faith wanted to just grab him in hug and protect him from everything.

"Look kiddo, what happened?" Faith asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing," Stiles answered quickly.

Faith glared at him a moment before letting out a deep sigh, turning to stare out of the window. When they finally got home, Stiles tore out of the jeep and into the house so fast that Faith hadn't even opened the door yet.

She made her way into the house, hanging up her jacket before making her way into the kitchen and taking up position on the countertop. She grabbed a bag of chips from behind her and sat staring out of the kitchen window, slowing making her way through the bag and contemplating how she was going to deal with Stiles, Scott and the full moon. She was making a point to not think of the annoying werewolf who she now considered AWOL. During all this she hadn't heard her uncle make his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Penny for them?" he asked, making his way over to her, taking the bag out of her hands and grabbing some for himself.

Faith sighed, wiping her greasy fingers on her jeans. "How many pennies have you got?" she replied with a wry smile.

"As many as you need," her uncle offered. He placed the bag of chips out of her reach before leaning back against the refrigerator, patiently waiting for her to start talking.

"It's nothing," she said finally with a shrug.

"Nothing as in the same nothing as Stiles?" he probed. Seeing the raised eyebrow from Faith he added, "I notice when Stiles comes home and goes straight to his room without saying a word. He hasn't even asked what I ate for lunch and then glare at me as I attempt to convince him that I didn't have any doughnuts."

Faith nodded in acknowledgment; a silent Stiles wasn't a good thing. "If I had any idea as to what Stiles' nothing was then I'd help you out there but I don't."

"He'll talk when he's ready. Now, let's hear your nothing."

Faith thought over her words carefully, taking time to glance out the window to the world outside. She knew she couldn't talk to him about what was really happening. Stiles had mentioned that he didn't want his dad knowing anything that was going on and she had agreed, albeit reluctantly. She knew keeping a secret this big never helped. She knew Stiles hoped not knowing would keep his father safe. What he hadn't figured out was that his own involvement meant his dad was already involved. Faith was keeping quiet for now but she knew it was all going to come out eventually. Today wasn't that day.

"Are you happy here?"

Faith blinked and turned back to her uncle in shock. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten to answer him. Was she happy in Beacon Hills? If she were being honest, she hadn't thought about it, even after Stiles drunken confessional. Where it was true that she felt at home here, she just didn't know whether it was because of the situation with Scott, Derek, the Alpha and the Argents or because of Stiles and her uncle.

"What?" She finally choked out.

"I mean, I'd understand if you wanted to go back to Cleveland. We'd miss you of course, but I don't want you to think you have to stay if you don't want to," her uncle admitted.

"No, I want to." Wait, she wanted to stay? "I like being here," she smiled. She really did.

Faith watched as her uncle's body visibly relaxed with a breath. She couldn't believe he was worried about her answer.

"Good because if you haven't notice, we like you being here too. I know that I'm not always around…"

Faith shook her head. "It's understandable," she interjected.

"But after everything that's happened, you've made quite an impact on our lives. A good one, don't get me wrong, but when you first got here, I'll be honest, I was worried especially as it had been so long since we'd seen you and with everything that had happened…,"he trailed off as Faith nodded again. It wasn't lost on her that her Aunt hadn't really been mentioned since she showed up. She didn't think her Aunt had been talked about since she passed, which she understood and she respected Stiles and her uncle enough not to bring her up either. "I'm happy that you are here and get on so well with Stiles. You two have gotten close in such a short space of time and I'm glad Stiles, well, Stiles and I both have you around. I have to thank your friend for getting in touch. "

"I haven't really done anything," Faith protested, jumping down from the countertop quietly. She made to leave the kitchen and the conversation that was making her feel uncomfortable. In that moment she hated lying to her uncle about everything and had the horrible feeling that he would quickly change his mind once he learned everything.

"Faith."

She stopped as she felt a hand come down lightly on her arm, pulling her back. She looked from the hand down to the floor before being pulled into a hug.

"You've done more than you know," her uncle whispered. Faith pulled back slowly, unable to look anywhere except the floor. "And if you want to stay, well, you know that we wouldn't have any objections." He rubbed her arms slightly before letting her go.

"Thanks and I'll think about it," Faith said with a small smile, looking up and taking a step back.

"That's settled then," he said with a slight nod. "So, that nothing we weren't talking about?"

"Still aren't talking about," Faith corrected him. She was thankful for the change in subject.

Her uncle gave her a familiar grin. "As long as I don't need to kick any guy's ass then I'll leave it. I don't, right?"

Faith laughed, shaking her head. "No, no ass kicking," she said, and then quickly added, "and no guys. I mean, there is no guy."

Her uncle raised his eyebrow at her admission. "Right, of course. It's not that you can't handle yourself but I thought I'd ask anyway. Well, I do need to head out again. I was only stopping for a shower and something to eat," her uncle said, stepping around Faith. "You have plans?"

She shook her head as she followed him out the kitchen to the front door. "No. I'll probably just have a quiet night," she lied. "I may try and get Stiles to talk. I'm thinking curly fries."

As her uncle left the house he turned and gave her a wide smile. "It might but may I suggest the approach you used from the other day."

Faith returned the smile and watched from the front porch as her uncle left for work, giving him a small wave goodbye. She headed back in the house, closing the door behind her to find Stiles coming down the stairs.

"You going to talk yet or do I have to sit on you again?" Her question holding the promise that she would do just that if she didn't get the answer she wanted.

Stiles shook his head. "I'll talk."

Faith gestured to the dining room with a nod of her head; she followed behind him as he made his way through.

As she seated herself in front of her cousin, she could see that he was still angry but not vibrating with it as he had been earlier. They sat in silence for a while with Faith watching Stiles movements closely; his leg twitching nervously as he ran his fingers through his short hair. She didn't want to push him but time wasn't really on their side and he really needed to start spilling before the sun went down.

"What's going on kiddo?"

Stiles took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Scott."

Faith had figured on the answer being Scott but there was something else that Stiles wasn't saying. Casting her mind back to the time on the field, she had watched Stiles' entire demeanour change after he had heard Jackson and…

"Lydia," Faith stated. Stiles jerked his head up so fast that Faith thought she heard something crack. "Something happened with Lydia too, right?"

Stiles merely nodded before casting his eyes down to the table top and his clasped hands.

"You gotta help me here. I can't help you if you don't tell me," Faith pushed at him.

"Scott and Lydia kissed," Stiles professed quietly, his head still bowed.

Faith hissed in a breath as Stiles continued to be enamoured by the table. Of all the things Stiles could have come out with, that hadn't even been on the list. Scott knew, hell, everyone knew how Stiles felt about Lydia and then he goes and kisses her? That didn't sound right, or even like Scott. In fact, it really didn't sound like Scott at all. Since Faith had known the kid, he had done nothing but talk about how amazing Allison Argent was, even after finding out about her family. That meant Scott was already lost to the moon, which begged the question, what tipped him over?

"How was Scott today after his panic attack?" Faith queried, her gaze locked on Stiles.

Stiles looked up at Faith in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Did he start acting differently than normal? Did he have a run in with anyone, or did something happen on the field?"

Stiles shook his head. "He disappeared for a while during lunch but that might have something to do with Jackson getting friendly with Allison. I don't think he could stand to sit back and just watch, so he left," he explained.

"And there's your trigger," Faith confirmed. "Scott hasn't been himself since lunch. I told you that he's under the moon's influence but his jealousy over Jackson and Allison just pushed him over, which explains what happened at practice. It would be a good idea to get over there and soon… or I could do it for you?" She suggested.

"It's easier to explain me being there than you. As much as I'd love to see Scott explain to his mom why you are in his room all dressed in leather, however innocent it may be, it should be me," Stiles said.

"Do you think that's a good idea considering what's happened?" Faith asked as she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

"You said it yourself, it wasn't Scott," Stiles argued.

"Doesn't make it hurt any less kiddo. Scott may have not been aware of what he was doing but Lydia sure as shit did," Faith countered. She watched as Stiles slumped down into his chair in defeat.

"I know," he sighed.

"Want my opinion?"

"You going to tell me there's plenty of more fish in the sea?" he asked. That slight show of sarcasm had Faith grin slightly.

"As clichéd as that sounds, no. What I'm saying is, and I can't believe that I am, but people change, feelings change and even though you love her now, it may not last forever. Just don't be afraid to let that happen," Faith said with as much sincerity as she could; she wasn't exactly the foremost expert on love. She didn't want to add that she had figured that Lydia probably kissed Scott as payback for Jackson getting close with Allison and most likely didn't even take Stiles' feelings into consideration, or maybe at all. A jealous Lydia was a woman scorned who didn't care who she hurt as long as she hit her target and that didn't put her on Faith's good side.

Faith didn't mention that she thought Stiles was too good for Lydia and her actions today had proved that but she knew she had to wait for Stiles to figure that out for himself. He deserved someone who appreciated and loved him for the hyperactive, intelligent, loyal and brave kid that he was.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Stiles' question had Faith choking back a laugh. "Me? Hell no. I've seen how damaging it can be. I don't think I could ever trust anyone that implicitly and he would have to accept the whole slayer deal and a guy tends to be put off by a girl who fights the forces of evil for a living."

"Would you like to?"

Faith thought a moment, making sure no thoughts went to a certain AWOL grumpy wolf. It wasn't something she was opposed to but she had a lot of baggage and her past certainly would scare anyone off. "If it happens it happens, but I won't be searching for it, that's for sure. It seems that history has showed that love and slaying don't mix and if it did happen then it certainly won't be with a vamp," she answered honestly.

She made a point not to mention that her longest relationship, if you could call it that, had lasted three months and there had been no love involved. Robin had been a great guy and they had had fun but she had learned quickly that a relationship started during an apocalypse was never built on solid foundations and once you took away the adrenalin fuelled, end of the world sex then there really wasn't anything left. They had parted as friends and the last she heard he was travelling through Japan.

Stiles stared at Faith in shock. "Has that actually happened?"

"B… Buffy did and still is… will always be I suppose," she shrugged. "It's complicated for them."

"She's a vampire slayer and he's a vampire. It could never have worked," Stiles pointed out. "Just look at Allison and Scott."

"Depends on how you look at it, but they tried to make it work when they could," Faith disputed. "You'd probably consider them soul mates. Circumstances and curses mean they can never be together."

"Ever?" Stiles asked his eyes wide in hope.

Faith slowly shook her head. "Ever."

"That's just depressing," Stiles said softly.

"It is," Faith agreed. "Well, now that I've made you even more depressed with the Buffy and Angel saga, how about we go and deal with Scott?"

Stiles nodded, standing up and heading out the door, leaving Faith still seated at the table lost in her own thoughts. When he came back down moments later, he found Faith waiting by the bottom of the stairs, leather jacket on and holding the keys to his jeep. It wasn't discussed whether or not Faith would be going with him tonight, she just was. As thankful as Stiles was for his cousin being a slayer, he really hoped she didn't need to have to use her skills tonight.

* * *

Faith sat on the hood of Stiles' jeep and pretended that she couldn't hear every single spiteful word that came out of Scott's mouth. She didn't have werewolf hearing, despite what Stiles thought, but her senses were more heightened than normal and right now she hated them. She had heard Stiles confront Scott about what had happened and they were now being treated to Scott's detailed description of his kiss with Lydia. She'd have stuck her fingers in her ears if it would have helped.

She was seconds away from charging upstairs to knock Scott out just so he would shut up but she had promised Stiles she wouldn't get involved until asked but counting to ten had stopped being helpful after she had got to a thousand and Scott was still talking. Nobody had to hear that, especially Stiles. Sadly, the person who knows you best is always the one who knows how to cut you the deepest and Scott would know exactly which buttons to push when it came to his best friend.

It gave her pause for thought that even though Stiles knew Scott was being a dick and hurting him on purpose, he wasn't doing it back. He could easily counter about Allison getting cosy with Jackson, but he was staying quiet and Faith hoped Scott realised how good of a friend Stiles really was.

Faith looked up when she heard Scott calling for Stiles, all malice gone from his voice, pleading with him that it was the full moon and to let him go, struggling against the restraints that Stiles must have used. She continued to listen as Scott's begging became more demanding, followed by growls and death threats the longer that Stiles ignored him.

The growls didn't die down the longer Scott pulled at his restraints; they grew with frustration and finally Faith heard the familiar snap of handcuffs breaking. The sound had her body tense and senses of full alert waiting to see what would happen next. Her eyes looked to up to Scott's open bedroom window just as Scott was jumping through it, over her head and landing on the other side of the jeep. She went to call out to him but he was already gone into the trees and the night beyond.

Faith looked back up to the window to see Stiles looking back down at her.

"Where do you think he's going?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know, but we need to find him," Faith answered him. She let her gaze flit back to where Scott disappeared. "Before someone else does."

* * *

As far as nights went, Faith was happily waiting for this one to be over. After losing Scott and searching everywhere they could think he would go, even chancing a quick check of the Argent residence, they had come across a crime scene on the side of the road close to the Preserve. Normally, Faith would have continued driving on and doubled back later without the car to case the scene but Stiles had been driving and so they had stopped.

Upon getting out of the car, Faith was left to follow after a panicked looking Stiles. After witnessing two body bags being lifted into the back of an ambulance he began searching for his dad amongst the officers on the scene. Faith had been slightly panicked herself but had kept her cool until her uncle appeared from behind Stiles, who instantly grabbed his dad in a hug, after which Faith did the same. She'd cottoned on quickly that Stilinski men were huggers and it was something she found she had no trouble getting used to.

Her uncle had wondered why they were out but Faith had explained that they were out grabbing some food when they came upon the scene. The excuse had placated her uncle but he still reprimanded Stiles for interrupting another crime scene, which Faith wasn't surprised in the slightest.

It had turned out that Stiles recognised the bodies that had been found, although his dad was never made aware. He had went onto explain to Faith that they were two guys who had happened upon them while they had been drinking and were the reason that the night had ended so abruptly, after they had taken the bottle of Jack Daniels and had attempted to intimidate them both. Stiles was adamant that even in his inebriated stated that both men were alive when Scott dragged him away, afraid of Scott but alive.

Something Faith didn't make Stiles aware of as they waited to near the crime scene, was the presence of a familiar car parked behind them. She made sure to keep them in her sights at all times, making sure they had no idea she knew of their presence. She wasn't stupid and she knew why they were there. Full moon and bodies show up? Yeah, hunters were going to be all over that. As long as they didn't find Scott, then they could stay there all night for all she cared. Instinct told her that Argent eyes were watching tonight's proceedings very closely, probably making sure it wasn't another Alpha attack.

The car was still there as Faith left Stiles at the crime scene with his dad and had made her way back to Scott's house, hoping that he had somehow made his way back home. Stiles had wanted to be there but she could see that he was still slightly panicked over his dad and instead promised that she would keep him posted if anything came up.

Upon arrival at Scott's house she noticed a familiar black Camaro parked outside hidden by the shadows of the house; to any passers-by, they would see darkness and nothing more.

'_Wait for one werewolf and two come along at once.'_

With determination and stealth, Faith let herself into the house and upstairs to Scott's room. She didn't know where it was exactly so she followed the sound of two voices. She paused at the door to Scott's room, giving a small smile as she heard Derek's familiar growl before frowning as she listened further to the conversation. Derek was offering Scott a chance of a cure? As far Faith was aware, there was no cure; once you're bitten that's it. She had a horrible feeling Derek was lying to Scott, giving him false hope and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Derek's offer.

"If you help me find him, I'll help you kill him."

Derek was going to use Scott to find the Alpha as he was the only connection they had to him. Faith could understand why he was doing this, it didn't mean she agreed. Not waiting for Scott to start talking she interrupted, "Is that open to everyone, or just Scott?"

Derek and Scott both turned to face her. Scott stared in open mouthed shock and fear, while Derek had that questioning look; his now default expression whenever in the company of Faith.

"Faith," Scott whispered.

"It's nice to see you made it safely home. I hope without incident?" she asked, waiting for either one of the werewolves to answer. "Well?"

Scott had the decency to look ashamed. He went to explain as Faith held up her hand to silence him. "Save it." She looked at Derek. "Don't disappear. I'll speak to you outside." They had more than a few things to discuss.

Derek nodded and made his way out the door and past Faith, knowing when he was being dismissed. Faith and Scott watched him go in silence. As they heard the front door close, Faith turned her attention back towards Scott.

"Are you ok?"

Scott looked up at Faith's question in astonishment. "Y…yeah," he stuttered.

Faith nodded at him. "Good. So, do you want me to tell you how much you fucked up or do you already know?"

Scott shook his head solemnly. "I know."

Faith watched Scott wearily. She grabbed the chair from his desk and dragged it to the middle of the room, right in front of Scott, who was still seated on the edge of bed and sat down. "Want to talk about it?"

"And tell you what? That I nearly killed Jackson and Allison and if Derek hadn't gotten there in time, then I would have? How about that I kissed the girl my best friend is absolutely nuts about? Or that I hurt Danny? And everybody loves Danny!" Scott shouted at her.

"Stiles doesn't hate you. He's pissed as hell but he doesn't hate you. I don't think Stiles really knows how to hate anyone," Faith pointed out.

"Except Jackson," Scott added.

Faith smiled. "Yes, except Jackson and you can apologise to Danny when you see him. You also kinda owe Derek for stopping you killing your ex."

"She's not my ex! We're just not together right now," Scott all but pouted.

"Even so, your jealousy of her friendship with Jackson isn't doing you any favours. You need to learn to control yourself or you are going to have a repeat of what happened tonight," Faith reasoned.

"Don't do me any favours. I can handle this myself," Scott said, crossing his arms in defiance.

"Yeah and you did such a good job. I mean, if threatening to kill your best friend is you 'handling' yourself then carry on," Faith said, leaning back in the chair. "Let's get one thing straight, if you _don't _deal with this then _I_ will. You need help Scott and I'm afraid the only one who can is downstairs."

"Derek?" He asked incredulously.

"Do you know any other werewolves, other than the Alpha that's going around killing people?" Faith responded. She opened her arms wide to emphasise her point. Receiving nothing but silence from Scott, she continued, "I think we should take him up on his offer."

"I don't think I can kill someone, even if it would make me normal again," Scott confessed.

"You hang around with Stiles, you aren't normal but if what Derek says is right and killing the Alpha will make you human again then you may have to… and I'll help you."

"I don't think I can trust Derek but I trust you. Do you think it will work?"

Faith looked at Scott feeling uneasy. She hated that she was trying to coerce him to work with Derek in finding the Alpha knowing full well there was no cure and Derek was lying to him. Just in case there was even a slight truth to Derek's words, she would get in contact with Dawn to double check, but with the way Scott was looking at her with those puppy dog eyes in hope, she couldn't really tell him the truth.

"No harm in trying," she said. Seeing Scott smile at her, her uneasiness grew. She knew she wasn't lying outright but she knew the kid needed something to hold onto, some hope. "Ok, now get some sleep and come over tomorrow. You have some serious grovelling to do."

"I know. Thanks Faith for, well, everything," Scott grinned. "When I saw you standing there I thought you were coming to… you know."

"It'll never get to that." Faith stood up, spun on her heel and went to leave the room but stopped in the doorway, turning to face Scott. "You came this close though," she said, pinching her forefinger and thumb together until they were millimetres apart. Before she left the room her attention was drawn to the radiator beside Scott's bed. It wasn't the bloodied handcuffs but rather the dog bowl with Scott's name scrawled on it in black marker.

"Was that Stiles?" She asked Scott who followed her gaze to the dog bowl. He looked at her sheepishly and nodded.

She left Scott with smile, a quick wink and a feeling of pride towards her cousin for his actions in dealing with Scott tonight; the dog bowl was a stroke of genius.

* * *

Faith closed Scott's front door quietly, making sure it locked behind her. She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill her lungs before exhaling shakily. Feelings of guilt were starting to seep in and she didn't like it; lying to Scott meant she would also have to lie to Stiles and that didn't sit well with her. Resting her forehead on the door, she took another deep breath. She knew what she was doing was wrong but she also knew that if Scott and Derek didn't work together then the Alpha was never going to stop. She just hoped that they didn't hate her after all this.

She turned to find an empty porch and no Derek waiting for her as she asked. With a shake of her head at how unsurprised she actually was that he hadn't stayed, she made her way down the porch stairs. When her foot hit the ground on the last step, a figure appeared from the shadows of the house.

"And here's me thinking you went all Houdini on me again," Faith said, turning to face Derek. "Should I be grateful that you actually listened to me?"

Derek stayed silent, his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket.

Faith let out a frustrated sigh as she walked past him towards the woods behind Scott's house. She called out behind her, "I suggest you follow or do you want to stay out in the open? I figured with you being a wanted fugitive and all."

She heard the soft footsteps follow behind her as she continued to walk deeper into the woods. With each step she allowed her frustration at Derek to grow. When the trees opened up to a clearing she stopped, keeping her back to Derek, waiting for him to catch up. When she felt him stop mere steps behind her she turned towards him and with lightning speed, moved forward and grabbed him by the lapels of his leather jacket, pushing him back towards the tree behind him. The tree itself shuddered and moved; groaning from the force of Derek's back hitting it and the power from Faith's push.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Faith shouted at him. "If you haven't noticed it's the full moon and there's an over emotional teenage werewolf that really needed your help." She pulled him forward to then quickly hit him harder into the tree. "And don't give me the bullshit about the police looking for you. None of this had to happen if you had just stuck around."

Derek's eyed blazed blue as he pushed back against her with his own strength with a snarl. Faith pushed back harder, hearing and feeling the tree start to lean back.

"What the hell are you?" He shouted back at her.

Faith glanced down to watch Derek's claw started to protrude. "I don't think so Hale," she growled before she pulled him forward and then pushed him back harder than she ever had before, hearing the distinctive sound of ribs cracking. "I asked first."

Derek let out a deep breath. "As you said, I'm a wanted fugitive. Not good to be out in the open."

"Bullshit," Faith spat.

"Why are you so concerned?" Derek demanded. He was pissed off at Faith but couldn't find it in him to turn the tables on her and fight back. Her anger was palpable and he could practically taste it but it was the feeling of relief from her that was confusing him.

"You walked out of my uncle's kitchen mere hours after being skewered by the Alpha! Pardon me for showing concern at the fact I haven't seen you since," She retorted.

"Looks like it too, as you try to put me through the tree," he snarled.

"The night's still young for that to happen and I'm not in the best mood. Don't. Push. Me," she said through gritted teeth.

She watched as Derek's breathing calmed and his claws retracted. With a final shove, Faith let go of him, stepping back as Derek pushed himself off the tree. While taking the time to brush himself down his eye caught the damage Faith had inflicted with his body; the tree was sitting at an awkward angle with a few of its roots showing at the bottom, the trunk was dented with bald patches where the bark had fallen off, presumably from where Faith had rammed his back into it, and there was a considerable amount of leaves on the ground around them than there had been before.

"How the hell…?" he asked again, pulling his eyes away from the tree to Faith. He gave a slight wince as he felt his ribs begin to heal.

Faith shrugged. "I was frustrated," she offered as way of an answer.

"Frustrated?" He asked incredulously.

Faith crossed her arms defensively. "Yeah, want to see what I do when I'm angry?" she said, voice holding a hint of warning.

"Want to see what _I _do?" Derek threw back with menacing grin.

"Please," Faith scoffed, "like you're the scariest thing that's ever gotten angry at me. You don't even make the top ten."

Derek stared at her in disbelief. He gave a small shake of his head. "You asked me here, remember?"

"I didn't want to fight with you," Faith shouted in exasperation, her arms raised. She calmed before continuing, "As I said, we'll help you with the Alpha."

"I asked Scott, not you."

Faith's eyes narrowed, crossing her arms. "Well, you are getting two for the price of one. Deal with it. Scott trusts me, not you and he won't help you without me," she said with a snide grin. "And I know you're lying to him about the cure."

"Then why didn't you tell him?" Derek asked curiously, his eyes trained on her.

"Did you think I liked lying to him? I know that giving him false hope is cruel but I also know that without him there's no chance in taking the Alpha down. He's going to hate me and so will Stiles after all this, but I'd rather ask for forgiveness for my lies than for their deaths. I'll protect them both as much I need to and if that means lying, so be it."

Derek stood silent as he mulled over Faith's words. "Then I have no choice, do I? I don't get Scott without you," he sighed.

"No, you don't and let's get one thing straight before we start deciding on the secret handshake. If you lie to me at any point and I find out, and believe me I would, you'd think being hunted by the Argents was a vacation compared to what I'll put you through. Smell the lie in that," Faith threatened. She grinned as she watched Derek's eyes widen slightly before quickly returning to his usual cooled expression. It was nice to know she could surprise the werewolf. "See, it's not so bad just giving in, is it?"

Derek shook his head. "I wasn't giving in."

"Let's agree to disagree on that, shall we?" Faith said. She smiled when Derek gave a non-committal shrug of his shoulders.

"You are frustrating," he stated, exasperated.

"I'm frustrating?" she said with shock, her hand on her heart. "Look at what being frustrated with you does." Faith motioned to the tree. "And I'm related to Stiles. He doesn't come with an off button, you know."

"How did you?" Derek asked, his gaze falling to the crooked tree. "You're different and fully healed from your injuries too it seems."

Faith shrugged indifferently under his intense gaze. "Put it down to good genes and I just eat my greens like every other good girl."

Derek cocked eyebrow at her. It was more than obvious he didn't believe her. "You don't seem the good girl type."

"Appearances can be deceiving. You of all people should know that," Faith responded with a pointed finger.

"Point still stands."

"Touché Hale," Faith said letting her shock show. "You made a joke! Did it hurt?" She started to laugh. "Stiles will never believe me."

Derek shook his head, giving her a slight grin, watching her with hooded eyes. "The family resemblance is starting to show."

"Except, unlike Stiles I will hit back and harder," Faith replied with a grin of her own. They stood in the quiet of the woods a moment, letting the calm fall upon them. "I should be getting back. Stiles will be worried," she started to explain, "and you have to… where are you staying? I know you aren't at your house as it's crawling with hunters."

"Around," Derek shrugged. Faith could see that his walls, that had come down a little as they talked, were now up and fortified.

Faith held up her hands in defence. "I was only asking. It's that concern thing again. It has me caring."

"And I still don't know why."

"Does it bother you that much?"

"No."

"And here's me thinking you weren't going to lie to me."

"What bothers me is that I have no idea who or what you are. I don't trust you."

"I won't take it personally, even if I did save your life but you're a smart boy Hale, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Faith advised, taking a slight step forward towards him. "I'm surprised you can't tell through my scent."

Faith looked up to see Derek looking down at her in what she could only describe as alarm. She didn't know what she said that could have put that expression on his face; she was only teasing about her scent. She knew he wouldn't be able to tell she was a slayer that way, more that she wasn't entirely human.

"Your scent was… fine," Derek gulped, his gaze never leaving Faith.

"I don't think I want you to find out, to be honest. It's too much fun holding this over you and I'll admit I do like being on top," Faith teased. "And I do could this all night but I'll let you get back to… 'being around'." She gave Derek a quick salute before turning away and heading back to Scott's house and Stiles' jeep.

Derek stood in the silence of the clearing and listened as Faith made her way back home; her footsteps light and fast. He could hear her call Stiles; eavesdropping as she told him that Scott was alright and she was on her way home. She made mention that it had been Derek that had found Scott but told him nothing of their conversation in the woods and he didn't think she would but he still found it disconcerting when her heart beat stuttered with her lies. It had occurred to him then that he hadn't heard her lie since he had met her. Sure, he knew she wasn't telling him everything about herself and he never expected her to either; she hadn't ever outright lied about anything she divulged, just providing half-truths.

He didn't know what it was that irked him about Faith, the fact that he had no idea what she was and that she knew it annoyed him or that he was starting to care? Either way it wasn't good and the quicker they could find the Alpha the better.

One thing was for sure, he sure as hell wasn't going to lie to her. Even if he hadn't been listening to her heart, the tone and sheer power that had radiated from her when she threatened him had him thinking twice. He'd only ever heard or felt that kind of power from an Alpha but he knew without a doubt she wasn't a wolf. She was different, but from what he could tell, she was human. Whatever Faith was, she had is full attention.


	11. K is for Kiss

**A/N:**Well, this has been an interesting month. At the beginning I ended up in hospital and had to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed. Thank God for painkillers that's all I can say. I'm better now and writing again. I couldn't while on painkillers because whatever I wrote came out as gibberish. Now I find out that Teen Wolf S3 won't be shown in the UK! I'm not happy as I actually work for the company that owns the channel that orignally showed it. Anyhoo, new update and thank you again to those of reading and taking the time to review. I hope you are still enjoying it!

Always love to Noturbaby for the beta. I'm still working on that parade.

**Chapter 11: K is for Kiss **

Faith was greeted at the door by Stiles who was looking worried as she arrived home from her meeting with Derek. She had already told him about what happened with Scott and whilst it pained her to lie to him about Derek, she knew it was for the best. Unfortunately, _knowing_ that it was the best option didn't do anything to alleviate the guilt she felt with each new lie that fell from her lips.

Stiles dragged her upstairs clumsily and into his room. He started explaining what he had learned about the two dead guys; explaining that they were both victims of the Alpha. Faith sat and listened as he explained that they had also been burnt to a crisp afterwards. This fact unsettled her most as this wasn't like the visceral remains left in the attacks on Laura Hale, the bus driver and the video store clerk.

Faith always had a gut feeling that the murders were related in some way; that there was some pattern here rather than just some random unfortunates. It made her think of something her uncle once said when she was younger,

"One is an incident, two is a coincidence and three is a pattern."

A pattern was almost a given at this stage; the question was – what's the Alpha's end game?

He had mutilated the prior victims and eviscerated them upon death; leaving their mangled corpses in clear view. The fact that he had burned the bodies this time didn't fit in with his usual 'style' and hiding what he had done didn't appear to be a priority for him.

She _knew_ there was a message here… something hidden in the details but she didn't know what.

After saying goodnight to Stiles and heading off to bed, Faith composed an email to Dawn. She told her everything that had happened that night, including the conversation with Derek and the supposed 'cure'. She didn't need to emphasise that she needed confirmation on whether the cure was real or not, before detailing the murders and her findings that the Alpha was killing for a reason and that reason was in Beacon Hills.

The next day, Scott arrived at the house and proceeded to grovel to Stiles and beg for forgiveness; true to form, her cousin did not disappoint. Stiles had forgiven Scott for all that had happened and had easily reverted back to how they were before. Faith wasn't surprised and had left them to discuss all that had happened the night before with Derek saving the day and the subsequent revelation that there could be a cure. Faith had made a point to leave during that part of the conversation; opting to run away rather than answering the endless questions that Stiles was sure to have.

She had returned a couple of hours later to an empty house and a note from her uncle stating he would be working late – again. This was another reason on Faith's ever growing list of why she needed the whole Alpha business to be over and done with. She took a long shower and got dressed for 'lounging'; using the rest of the day catching up on emails from everyone. She honestly hadn't been ignoring anyone on purpose, however, she felt herself fitting in so well in Beacon Hills that she had temporarily forgotten the life she had before. It scared her to think what would happen once she left; going back to travelling around and never staying in one place long enough to throw down roots. Staying _here_ instead had flitted through her mind already but she was equally concerned about making the commitment to that life either… not just yet anyway.

The thought made her think of how happy Buffy seemed now that she was in Italy; finally living a full and happy life free from slaying. Faith was not as willing to retire as she loved being a Slayer too much… but maybe the vocation she came here for could be more literal than she first intended. Beacon Hills may not be a Hellmouth but it still had its fair share of trouble and she had convinced herself that it could probably do with having a Slayer around for a bit longer.

Seeing as there wasn't another slayer in the area she decided that she'd take the job. It definitely had more pros than cons at this moment in time.

* * *

It had often occurred to Faith that there was no real need for her to go patrolling in Beacon Hills since it had transpired it was pretty much demon and vampire free. It wasn't that she liked patrolling as such, but old habits die hard… and she was bored. It also helped to keep her mind free clear as she blocked out the world; allowing for her to concentrate fully on the skills that came to her as naturally as breathing. Now she was walking around the deserted industrial park with nothing to do and a stake that hadn't seen any action since she left Cleveland.

She could hear the city sounds around her, the music from the numerous clubs that were dotted around and the horns of the cars blaring noisily at each other. When she heard the sirens of several police cars, she ignored it, listening instead for anything out of the ordinary. When all she received back was silence she all but decided to give up and head back to her car and maybe finish off the chunky monkey that Stiles thought he had successfully hidden in the freezer at home. She was just approaching her car when her cell went off, breaking the quiet of the street. Faith knew it was Stiles by the ringtone she had chosen for him a while ago; he still hadn't heard what she had chosen for him and was eagerly awaiting the day he would.

Faith pressed the answer button but her greeting was interrupted by Stiles. "Please tell me you're out patrolling?"

"Hello to you too and I was just heading home," Faith answered. She could hear Stiles muffle the speaker and speak to who she could only guess was Scott beside him.

"Are you near the Iron Works?" He asked after a moment.

"Close enough. Why? What's going on?" Faith opened the car and got in.

"Derek's there. He's trapped by the cops and the Argents. You need to get there before they find him, or before dad does."

Faith sighed. She looked at the clear night sky, silently asking, '_Why me_?' "Should I even ask?"

"Please Faith. Kate Argent just overtook us and is headed that way. By the sounds of it, they are closing in fast. He needs your help. "

Faith gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. "Where are you right now?"

"About five minutes away."

"I'll get there faster. I'll go and get him and I want you two to meet us by the Preserve. Remember where you went the day Derek was shot?" She received silence as an answer. "Stiles, don't nod at me. Use words."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, I remember."

"Good, now head there as fast as you can. Your dad will notice your jeep if you get too close."

"Yeah, about that…" Stiles paused, "we have the Camaro."

Faith gaped in shock, "Derek let you drive the Camaro? Is he dying?" She ignored the little blip her heart gave at the mere thought of Derek dying and the irresistible urge to punch something.

"Scott's driving and it's a long story but as far as I can tell, he isn't dying or dead yet and why wouldn't I be allowed to drive the Camaro? I'm a good driver! I'm way better than little 'driving Miss Daisy' next to me."

Faith could hear Scott bickering in the background with Stiles as she started the engine. She knew it was risky using her car to pick up Derek during a police chase but with her tinted windows and her driving skills, she should get out of there with no problems. Dealing with the hunters, despite the fact she really didn't want them knowing who she was, would be easier than dealing with the cops; she didn't think her uncle would appreciate his niece in handcuffs and having to explain why.

"I'll see you two soon." Faith hung up as she sped away, heading towards the Iron Works. She knew there were a couple of entrances to the warehouse and she had a good idea where the police would try and trap Derek but was unclear on how the Argents would trap him; that worried her. She didn't need them shooting first and asking questions later, let alone getting anyone else caught in the line of fire; collateral damage was unacceptable right now.

Faith heard the sirens long before she saw the cluster of cop cars at the entrance to the Iron Works; she swerved out of view and quickly made her way to the rear of the warehouse where she knew the trucks were parked. There was an entrance to the building that was for forklifts only but she guessed her car could fit through with no trouble before coming out the other end and bypassing the cops completely… and hopefully the Argents too.

She hit the gas and sped through the warehouse as she heard the shots ring out only stopping the car as she saw the explosion and Derek run for cover behind a forklift. She winced when she saw the flare go off and could see that it had affected Derek's vision.

"Get in the car!" She shouted. She let out a high pitched whistle as she pushed open the passenger door to get his attention. She could see the look of shock on his face as he turned, squinting, before another shot ran out, hitting close to the open car door.

Derek ran towards the car and jumped in as Faith tore out of the warehouse, leaving dust in her wake. She kept the fast speed until she was far enough away, making her way to the opposite side of town, away from the Preserve and Scott and Stiles. She wanted to make sure they weren't being followed first before heading in the right direction. It was another few moments before she realised that she did in fact have a passenger, who was looking at her in question; the after effects of the flare long since gone.

"What?" She finally asked, her eyes darting from Derek to the road. "Were you expecting someone else? I could go back if you want?"

When she received a huff in response, she gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles paling.

"You know, a thank you would be nice!" Faith barked, "I could have had other plans that may or may not have included a large tub of ice cream and a couch."

"I didn't ask for any help, especially yours," Derek growled.

Faith frowned at Derek before pulling over to the side of the deserted road. Turning off the engine, she turned to Derek and slapped him upside the head. "I should just _drag_ you back to the Argents!" she shouted.

Faith raised her hand to slap him again but was stopped short by Derek's hand as it caught her wrist tightly.

"Let go," Faith growled at him. She twisted her wrist to slacken his hold but could feel it tighten instead, her bones rubbing together painfully but not enough for her to give him the satisfaction of letting it show. She used her other hand to pry his hand off her wrist but he grabbed her other wrist, pulling it away so both her hands were apart.

"Let. Go," she threatened, gritting her teeth. Faith watched as Derek's eyes widened slightly before narrowing.

"No."

Faith breathed deeply as she pushed all her anger towards getting out of Derek's hold on her, the air in the car started to crackle with the tension between the two. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and concentrated on slowly rotating her wrists around to grab a hold of Derek's jacket, using the leverage to allow his hold on her to loosen. When she opened her eyes she could see Derek looking from her to back down to where they were connected in surprise as she twisted out of the crushing grip he had on her. When she finally got out she pushed away from him with breath and a hiss as she looked to her wrists and watched as they started to darken with fresh bruises.

She looked up to find Derek staring at her in open mouthed shock before looking down to her wrists in abject horror. He looked back at her in an expression she could only describe as guilt. She watched with wide eyes, her anger fading as he lightly took hold of her wrists, turning them so he could inspect them in the light coming from the streetlamp outside.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Faith shook her head. "I hit you so I should be apologising. I shouldn't have done that but you pissed me off," she said lightly as she allowed Derek to examine her wrists. "I'm a big girl, I can take it. It doesn't hurt and those will fade quickly."

"You shouldn't have to," Derek frowned, letting her go gently. "And thank you."

"See, was that so hard?" Faith teased, trying to defuse the tension that had filled the car, even though she could still feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She received nothing from Derek as he continued to stare out of the car window at the empty street. With a sigh, she started the car and headed off in the direction of the Preserve.

"_Baby, you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flick your hair gets me overwhelmed…"_

Faith cringed slightly as she glanced at her cell on the dash to Derek, who was staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" she asked as she mimicked his expression. "It's my favourite song by the best band ever! I heard Harry likes the older woman so I think I'm in with a chance." Derek let out a breath in a slight laugh, giving a small shake of his head. "Ok, maybe not," Faith relented giving Derek a small smile. "Stiles uses this song to express his man pain and I've decided to take advantage of that for funsies."

Derek's chance to respond was interrupted by Faith's cell ringing again. She answered, hitting the speakerphone.

"Faith's taxi cabs. Where we aim to pick you up before the cops do!" Faith sang. She smiled as she caught Derek's grin in the car window.

"You think you're funny but you're not," Stiles voice echoed through the car. "Where are you?

"Did she get Derek?" Faith could hear Scott ask in the background.

"You doubted me?" Faith kidded but she could hear the worry from both boys.

"Of course not," Stiles said warily, "We were just worried, you know?"

"I wanted to make sure we weren't followed but we're on our way now. You two ok?" She asked.

Scott shouted that they were fine but was interrupted by Stiles. "I just love to hang around here in the dark with a psychotic Alpha werewolf on the loose. Yep, we're totally ok. In fact, the only thing that could make it better would be the Alpha actually showing up … annnnnd now that I've said it aloud it's totally going to happen, isn't it? He's is going to come out of nowhere and bite down on my ass, well, not my ass or maybe my ass… Faith, please don't let him bite me… I kinda like my ass." There was a pause as she listened as Stiles and Scott argued in the background about how Stiles had just jinxed them both.

Faith heard Derek scoff and roll his eyes at Stiles' rambling which had her smiling.

"I think I actually heard Derek roll his eyes down the phone," Stiles said "Is he being facetious or does he genuinely have concern for my well-being? Don't answer that, now _I'm_ being facetious."

Faith laughed as Derek glared at her cell.

"He's glaring now, isn't he?" he asked with a slight hint of fear. "And I think I just heard the first growl."

Faith laughed harder. "Yeah, and if you don't want him to bite you then I'd quit while you're ahead… We'll be there soon."

They said their goodbyes and Faith hung up with a shake of her head.

Derek and Faith drove in silence until Faith couldn't stand it any longer and turned on the radio. She mentally winced when the sounds of Boston filled the car.

'_It's more than a feeling…more than a feeling…_'

Derek let out an audible huff of his displeasure to the song and the general silence being interrupted.

"You know, a friend of mine has a saying that goes very well with this situation. It goes something like this – driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. Got anything to say?" Faith asked. She received nothing from the broody werewolf except stony silence. "Good."

* * *

Faith parked her car beside the Camaro and got out as Derek waited in the passenger seat when her cell went off again with Stiles' new ringtone. She grinned when she heard a groan coming from the dark.

"Like it?" She called out, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness surrounding them and hiding her cousin from view. "I think it fits you perfectly."

She watched as Stiles and Scott emerged from the darkness in front of them; the headlights illuminating them both. She turned her attention to Derek as he emerged from the car, walking toward Scott.

Stiles stopped as he stood opposite Faith with only the car door between them. "I take it back about me being proud you're family," he stated. "It's still on. I haven't forgotten."

Faith's grin widened as she leant forward to bring her face closer to his. "I don't need to be a werewolf to know you are a lying liar who lies," she said. "You'll never get me lil' cuz so give it up, she teased, rubbing the top of his head.

Stiles pulled away from her sharply, harrumphing as he folded his arms and walked away to stand beside Scott.

Faith chuckled and took a step back, closing the car door, to then lean against it as she watched Derek and Scott argue. Stiles, as ever, was caught in the middle trying to calm both parties down.

"What part of laying low don't you understand?" Scott shouted at Derek.

"Dammit, I had him!" Derek yelled back as he brought his fist down onto the picnic table. An audible snap was heard as the table collapsed in on itself. All eyes fell on Faith as she let out a snort of laughter.

"The Alpha?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah! He was right in front of me, and then the friggin' police show up," Derek growled in frustration.

"Whoa, hey, they were just doing their job," Stiles argued, attempting to stand up for his dad. He took a step back as Derek glared at him.

"Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state," Derek scowled at Scott over Stiles' shoulder.

"Better than the entire country," Faith commented quietly. She gave a small shrug at the three questioning looks she received, "Never mind." It was definitely not the time to bring up the past.

"Can we seriously get past that?" Scott shouted, raising his arms up in frustration. "I made a dumbass mistake, I get it."

"Yeah, you did," Faith nodded at him.

"Really?" Stiles asked, rounding on her. "You aren't helping," he pointed out before turning back to face Derek. "How did you find him?"

After a moment of silence, Scott asked, clearly irritated, "Can you try and trust us for at least half a second?"

"Yeah, both of us," Stiles jumped in, coming to stand beside Scott but promptly fell back under the threatening look from Derek. "Or just him," he nodded to Scott. As Derek continued to glare at him, he pointed to Faith while talking steps towards her. "I'll be over there."

Derek watched intently as Stiles took a seat beside Faith before taking a calming breath to speak to Scott. "Look, the last time I talked to my sister she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy name Harris."

"Our Chemistry teacher?" Stiles butted in. Faith slapped the back of his head as Scott sighed, while Derek glared at him again.

"Why him?" Scott asked, bringing Derek's attention, and anger, away from Stiles and back to the issue.

Derek shook his head. "I don't know yet."

"What's the second?"

Derek pulled a piece of paper from the inside of his leather jacket, showing Scott. "Some kind of symbol." Scott took the paper and groaned. "What? You know what this is?" Derek asked.

Faith stood up and walked towards Scott, taking the paper out of his hands to inspect the drawing. She could make out what was obviously supposed to be a wolf in the middle of shield. She knew what it was immediately as it had been on some of the files that Dawn had sent her when she first started investigating the Argent family; she just didn't know how to let Derek know that it was the Argent family symbol without giving away how much she truly knew.

"It looks like a crest or a coat of arms," Faith said, handing the paper back to Derek, avoiding eye contact but she could feel his questioning gaze on her.

"I've seen it on a necklace," Scott broke in, "Allison's necklace."

"Great!" Stiles piped up, coming forward. "So, now what?"

Faith looked to Scott. "Kid, you're gonna have to get it."

"How? If you haven't noticed, she's not talking to me right now," Scott said, his puppy dog eyes giving away how much he hated the situation between him and Allison.

"There's always the easier way of just stealing it," Faith offered. She received three looks of disbelief. "What? You think she's just going to hand it over with no explanation as to why? Or are we going to tell her the truth?" She didn't wait for a response before continuing, "It's the only logical thing to do. Besides, the only person who can do it is you kid. Stiles is to stealth as Derek is to using words." She ignored the glares from both Stiles and Derek. "Also, she doesn't know me and don't you think it would freak her out if Stiles' cousin came out of nowhere asking about her necklace?"

"She's got a point," Derek said.

"Yeah, you really need to start using your words more," Stiles retorted. He received a scowl from Derek and another head slap from Faith. "Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the back of his head. "You keep doing that and it's going to cause damage, even if you are holding back."

"You're lucky I am and how would you be any different to how you are now?" Faith laughed as Stiles stuck his tongue out at her.

"Are we finished?" Derek interrupted them.

"Are you asking or telling?" Stiles remarked snidely. "Do you need to get back to your lair?"

"No because he's staying with us," Faith stated. She gulped as her words sank in; she really hadn't meant to say that. She refused to look at Derek and kept her gaze on Stiles, who looked to be catching flies, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"I did not and will not agree to that," he protested. "There isn't even an alternate universe me who would agree either."

"Think about it Stiles. The police are looking for him, in fact, as he pointed out, the entire state is after him and the only safe place in this town is the Sheriff's house," she tried to reason. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"What makes you think I'll agree?" Derek cut in, his arms crossed.

"What makes you think I'm giving you a choice?" Faith countered. "The way I see it Hale, you need me."

Derek's eyes widened for a second before he frowned, letting out a huff.

Stiles watched intently as his cousin and Derek argued and waited for Derek to get angry and lash out but surprisingly the angry werewolf backed down at Faith's words and gave her a small nod. Stiles had no idea what it was that Faith did but he knew he was going to beg her to teach him later on.

"Fine!" Stiles shouted while raising his arms in the air in defeat. "But you are feeding and walking him," he commanded, pointing a finger at her and walked away to stand beside Scott as he ignored Derek's warning growl behind him.

Faith let out a breath and clasped her hands together. "Good, that's settled then. Scott, take the Camaro back to where you found it. _Exactly_ where you found it and Stiles, go with him and you…," she ordered, watching Derek, "are coming with me."

Derek let out a sigh as he walked towards the trunk of the Camaro.

"You sure you're going to be alright?" Scott asked worriedly as he eyed Derek pulling a duffle out of the trunk.

"Five by five," Faith replied, giving a quick look over her shoulder at Derek.

"I have no idea what that means," Scott said.

"It means you get in the car and do as I tell you," she placated him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Now, watch yourselves and make sure you don't get caught." She walked Scott and Stiles to the Camaro. They got in, albeit reluctantly, given the looks she was receiving from them both. She watched them leave; not moving until she couldn't make out the taillights in the dark and made her way towards her own car and a patiently waiting Derek.

"Ready?" She asked, grinning as she got in the car.

Derek glared and got in; his duffle already thrown in the back seat.

_Wow, this is going to be interesting._

* * *

Stiles returned home to find Faith in the kitchen, sitting at her favourite spot, looking relaxed in sweats as though there wasn't a scary ass werewolf in the house. He looked around for Derek but couldn't find the sour wolf anywhere.

"He's upstairs, shower, I think," Faith answered Stiles unasked question. "Everything go well with you and Scott?"

Stiles nodded, trying not to show how much Faith just saying that Derek was having a shower in his house wasn't freaking him out. It was all too… normal. Normal shouldn't be werewolves, slayers and Alphas running around killing people but it seemed that this was his life now and yet he was having more of a hard time accepting just how easy he had accepted it all. He really needed a vacation.

"You ok? You're all twitchy and it isn't Adderall related," Faith asked as she jumped down from the countertop.

Stiles shook his head. "Nope. No problems from me. No sir. It's not like there's a werewolf in my house, upstairs taking a shower and you are down here like this isn't the weirdest thing to happen ever," he babbled, leaning back against the doorframe for support.

"As opposed to Scott…?" Faith argued, her arms crossing defensively.

"Not the same thing and you know it!" He shouted as he angrily pointed a finger at her.

"Can you just trust that I know what I'm doing? Do you think I'd even let him past the door if I wasn't a hundred percent sure?" Faith didn't mention that she may have, in her nervousness, invited Derek into the house as though she suspected he was a vampire. She could've sworn she heard Buffy laughing all the way in Rome and Dawn in Cleveland while she had given herself a mental facepalm. She had argued with herself that it was just habit and she did it with everyone, regardless of who they are.

"You trust him?" Stiles sneered. "We are talking about Derek Hale here. The werewolf with serious anger issues that rival the Hulk!"

"I didn't say I trusted him. I just… know him," Faith attempted to explain as Stiles scoffed at her. "Look kiddo, I know Derek won't hurt me and I know he needs us as much as we need him."

"We do _not_ need…," Stiles started to protest.

"Yes, we do and you know it," Faith cut him off. "You want to take on an Alpha alone, then go ahead, be my guest, or need I remind you the state I was in the first time I went up against him? And I'll point out now that Derek was the one who brought me home. He saved me. You said so yourself."

"That's not fair," Stiles pouted. He had remembered most of what he had said the night he had returned home drunk, including having to be carried upstairs by Faith. As embarrassing as it was, he knew he hadn't said anything that wasn't true.

"You aren't being fair. Ok, so he's not going to win Mr Congeniality anytime in this century but he's been fine since he got here." Silent and broody as always but he didn't look like he was going to leave so Faith counted it as a win.

"I'm not changing my mind about this."

Faith nodded, uncrossing her arms. "Duly noted."

"So, where's he sleeping? And don't say my room." He could handle Derek in his house but he drew the line at him sleeping in his room.

"My room," Faith answered. "It's the safest place and he can sleep on the floor near the window. It's an easy escape if anything happens and he's hidden by the bed if Uncle Stan decides to check in."

Stiles' silence spoke volumes as he just stared at Faith in shock. Derek in the same room as Faith was worse than Derek in his room. He suspected Faith was trying to give him a heart attack.

"What if something happens? What if…? What if there's… and something goes …?" He sputtered. "I don't like this. I just want it known that I hate this idea more than any other idea you've had… including the one at the school!"

"It's my…"

"This is not your job! Don't use that as an excuse," he yelled.

Faith sighed, letting her head fall into her hands, her elbows perched on the breakfast bar. She understood where Stiles was coming from but she was tired and really wasn't up to fighting with him. She knew he'd have reservations but he was being over dramatic about nothing and it was frustrating. She couldn't explain that she felt better knowing that Derek was at least safe and no longer had to worry, not that she'd admit it out loud, about where he was staying or if anything would happen and she wouldn't find out until it was too late.

"I'm going to bed," she said, standing upright to face Stiles. "I'm done arguing about this."

Walking past Stiles and trying hard to ignore the hurt look he gave her, she made her way upstairs towards her bedroom. She opened the door to find the room occupied with a comfortably dressed and freshly showered Derek Hale, sitting on the floor underneath her window. Faith took a moment to take in the scene before her and how odd it truly was. Derek didn't look so angry, almost peaceful and it gave away how young was; his cold, hard act had him looking older than Faith knew him to be.

"Hey." She gave him a small smile as she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Derek, who had his eyes closed, opened them to watch her sit down on her bed and lean against the headboard. "You were fighting with Stiles."

"Eavesdropping is rude and you should know better," Faith admonished.

"I'm not known for being nice," Derek exclaimed. "You don't like fighting with him."

Before Faith could respond she heard Stiles walking upstairs with slow heavy footsteps and making his way into his room, closing the door with a soft click.

"No, I don't," she said softly. "I fight enough as it is and I'm pretty sure I'm done for my next five lifetimes. It just feels… wrong. I'm not used to this family thing." She looked to Derek who had his eyebrow cocked in question. "I haven't been around for a while, a really long while."

"You stayed away."

"The alternative would have been much worse, believe me. It was for their protection more than anything and they wouldn't have been able to deal with… things. After a while it was easier to just forget I had family and let them forget about me," Faith sighed.

"And now _things_ have changed."

"Do you ever actually ask questions?" She asked as Derek shrugged in response. "Well, to answer even if you didn't ask, no. Let's just say things are more manageable than before and I have friends who like to meddle. So, here I am."

"Here you are. What a life you must lead."

Derek looked behind Faith to her open laptop and the screensaver, slide-showing numerous photographs; Faith followed his gaze and smiled. Amongst them were pictures of her with Dawn in Scotland and Paris, images of her and Buffy strolling through the sights and ruins in Rome and then onto pictures of her with Vi and Dawn in Cleveland. She was pretty sure there were a few of her and Xander in Africa but it had been a long while since she'd paid any real attention to her screensaver; a life that now felt so very far away. To anyone else looking at them it looked as though Faith was vacationing with friends but what they didn't see was the apocalypse that had started in Paris that had had her in the infirmary for a week, to the vampires in Rome that had wanted to challenge the oldest living Slayers on record; Buffy had retired after _that_ debacle. Pictures were deceiving, none more so than her own.

"It's not as exciting as you think," Faith said as her eyes shifted away from the photograph of her and a few minis and down to her own hands. Two of the girls in the photograph were now deceased but she liked to remember them as they had been, as they were in those photos, rather than… well, now.

"You never said what you do." Derek narrowed his eyes as he watched Faith fidget uncomfortably.

"No, I didn't," she coughed. "Seeing as you actually asked, I teach." Derek snorted to which Faith looked up grinning; her previous thoughts now pushed away. "It's _true_. I teach self-defence at a girl's school in Cleveland. It's pretty boring."

"And in your boredom you get involved with this type of stuff, Miss Stilinski?"

"Miss Lehane," Faith offered. "I'm not a Stilinski. I'm from Stiles' mom's side of the family and boredom tends to mean that I'm _not_ involved with this type of stuff. Boredom is a good thing."

"Faith Lehane," Derek said, leaning his head back against the wall again. "Suits you more than Stilinski."

"That's me," Faith stated. "Do you know enough now or do I have to talk about my teenage years next? I'll tell you, it wasn't pretty."

"They tend not to be," Derek muttered.

Silence filled the room as Faith contemplated what Derek had said. She knew that her teenage years weren't something she could be proud of but Derek's would have been awful. Losing your entire family like that isn't something she would wish on anyone and she could clearly see how much it still affected him and now with his sister gone, she could clearly see the loneliness was slowly eating away at him. The sad thing, Derek was allowing it to happen. Faith knew she had a lot in common with the werewolf, but she hadn't really known how much until then. She may not have lost her entire family but she had lost something once – herself and even now she was still fighting to get some semblance of it back; all the while knowing if she never truly would. She could relate to the loneliness and helplessness he felt.

"Would you have come back if not for Laura?" Faith asked finally.

"Would you, if your friend hadn't meddled?" Derek countered as he lay down on the makeshift bed he had created from the blankets and pillows Faith had left him earlier.

"Probably not but that's fear for you," Faith answered honestly. She got herself under the duvet, lying back against the soft pillows to stare at the ceiling. "And guilt."

"What do you know of fear and guilt?"

Faith breathed deeply as she contemplated her next words, ignoring the accusing tone from Derek. She had an uncontrollable urge to just tell him everything, let it all out and bare her soul. It hadn't gone unnoticed that she had never lied to Derek and that all those half-truths she had told were no longer going to cut it.

"Story time is over for tonight, I think," she said as she leant over to turn off the light. She glanced down to see Derek watching her intently, his head resting on his arm as he stared up at her. "Night, Hale."

"Lehane," Derek replied, closing his eyes as the light went out. Faith lay back down, turning on her side, her back to the door and her face towards the window. It struck her that she didn't feel weird about having Derek in her room as she thought she would. Her nervousness had long gone and been replaced with a sense of calm and peace that she welcomed like a warm blanket. She felt safe.

Faith let a small smile play her lips as she let that knowledge pull her into sleep.

* * *

When Faith woke hours later, it wasn't to Stiles' ringtone, or even her uncle getting up for work, which she was becoming used to but rather sharp, fast breaths and small whines. She let her eyes adjust a moment before turning to look down to where Derek was now writhing in his sleep; the blankets were haphazard and trapped under him, his pillow looked to be soaked. Upon closer inspection, she could see damp patches on his t-shirt and sheen on his body from sweat.

Without a second thought, Faith quietly slid her body out of bed and lay down beside him, making sure to keep her movements slow as not to wake him. She really didn't know what he would do if she woke him out of what looked to be a pretty intense nightmare but she couldn't take the chance that he wouldn't shift. The fact he hadn't even felt her move beside him gave testament that he was deeply enthralled in whatever was going on in his head.

She froze, her breath caught in her throat as he turned to face her, their bodies now facing each other. She watched as he shivered, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as protection from whatever he could see in his mind. Faith knew she couldn't reach the blankets at his feet or under him without getting up, so instead pulled a cover down from her bed and placed it gently over the both of them.

Faith carefully pulled Derek's arms from around himself, slotting their hands together and pulling herself closer to him. She rested her forehead against his, ignoring the dampness in favour of trying to calm down his rapidly paced heartbeat.

"Shh… it's okay… you're safe," she whispered soothingly as she lightly squeezed his fingers. She didn't know if he was aware of her presence, but she kept whispering words of comfort as he continued to shake and whimper. The sound cut her deep as she didn't like how defenceless he sounded or how helpless it made her feel that she couldn't help him.

She closed her eyes and allowed her own heartbeat to calm; she didn't know what to do but she couldn't leave him like this. She decided to take a leaf out of Stiles' book and talk.

"Derek, it's Faith. You're safe and nothing's going to happen, I promise. Listen to me, please," she pleaded softly, her grip on his fingers tightening again. "It isn't real. Whatever you hear, whatever you see isn't real. You hear me? It's. Not. Real." She pulled back slightly to brush her lips against Derek's cheek, murmuring, "You're here… safe… with me."

She softly placed a kiss on his head. It was nothing more than lips on skin but Faith tried to put as much comfort and reassurance as she could into it and hoped that Derek could at least feel it and know she was there. She began to pull back again but stilled as Derek growled low in the back of his throat. She let out a slow breath as he gently pulled her forward into his embrace, his face tucked deep at the join of her neck and collarbone. He pulled his hand from Faith and encircled his arm around her to pull her in and keep her tight against him; his fingers skirting along the base of her spine where her vest top had ridden up. She could feel him breath deep, taking her scent in and breathing out slowly, his warm breath hitting her neck as his fingers continued to stroke her bare skin. Not long after, his breathing calmed and the shivering stopped as Derek stayed wrapped around Faith.

Faith kept a hold of Derek's hand, while her other hand was placed over his heart; the beating having slowed considerably. She stayed awake a while longer to make sure that he wasn't going to have another episode, allowing herself to relax in his arms. She finally succumbed, letting the light touches from his fingers on her back, the heat from his body and his own earthy scent to lull her into a deep sleep.


End file.
